Be Faithful, Be Real - 2 Corinthians 6:1-13; 7:2-4

Be Faithful, Be Real

2 Corinthians 6:1-13; 7:2-4

I.      Behold Today is the Day of Salvation, 2 Cor. 6:1-2

1.     In verse 20 of chapter 5 Paul has spoken of the appeal that God makes through the preaching of His ambassadors, the message of reconciliation.

2.     The grace of God was shown in Christ’s redemptive work as Sin-bearer, to which reference was made in the closing verses of chapter 5.

3.     It seems apparent that there were some in Corinth who heard the gospel message and may have paid it lip service without actually receiving it in such a way that it became a regenerating influence in their lives.

4.     Perhaps they still held to the belief that they could achieve their own salvation; and to harbor in such delusion is to receive the grace of God in vain.

5.     Paul therefore beseeches them to welcome the good news upon which alone their salvation depends.

6.     In verse 2, Paul underlines the urgency of his appeal in words taken from Isaiah 49:18 where Isaiah the prophet says: “Thus says the LORD: "In a time of favor I have answered you; in a day of salvation I have helped you.”

7.     The original reference is to the help which God would give to His Servant in the day when salvation would be offered to the Gentiles.

8.     Paul tells the Corinthians that they are now living in such a day of blessing.

9.     They are privileged to hear the gracious offer of salvation and are faced with the inescapable duty of either accepting or rejecting it.

10.                         Few verses in the New Testament remind us more forcibly than this that the gospel must always be proclaimed as a matter of urgency, for the accepted time will not always be at hand.

II.  Patient Endurance, 2 Cor. 6:4-10

1.      In all the chances and changes of life Paul had only one concern--to show himself a sincere and profitable minister of Jesus Christ. Even as he made that claim, his mind's eye went back across what Chrysostom called "the blizzard of troubles" through which he had come and through which he was still struggling. Every word in this tremendous catalogue, which someone has called "the hymn of the herald of salvation," has its background in Paul's adventurous life.

2.     John Chrysostom is perhaps the greatest preacher of the 4^th century. He was the Bishop of Constantinople and hundreds of his sermons have survived to this day. By the 6^th century he had merited the name “golden-mouthed.

3.     Paul begins this section with one triumphant word of the Christian life--endurance. It is untranslatable. It does not describe the frame of mind which can sit down with folded hands and bowed head and let a torrent of troubles sweep over it in passive resignation. It describes the ability to bear things in such a triumphant way that it transfigures them. Chrysostom calls it "the root of all goods, the mother of piety, the fruit that never withers, a fortress that is never taken, a harbor that knows no storms" and "the queen of virtues, the foundation of right actions, peace in war, calm in tempest, security in plots." It is the courageous and triumphant ability to pass the breaking-point and not to break and always to greet the unseen with a cheer.

4.     Paul goes on to speak of three groups, each of three things, in which this victorious endurance is practiced.

a.     There are the internal conflicts of the Christian life:

1). In troubles: a pressing, pressed together, pressure. The pressures of life that weigh us down.

2). In Hardships: distress, anguish, the necessities of life.

3). Distresses: literally means the narrowness of a place, pinned in. There are times in life when it seems there is no way out.

b.     There are the external tribulations of life:

1). In Beatings: stripes, wounds, physical suffering.

2). Imprisonments: imprisoned because of one’s faith.

3). Riots: tumults, political instability, mob violence.

c.      There is the effort of the Christian Life:

1). In Hard Work: intense labor united with trouble and toil.

2). Sleeplessness Nights: insomnia, deprived of sleep.

3). Fastings: probably a fasting because of want or poverty.

5.     Now Paul turns away from the trials and the tribulations, which endurance enabled him to overcome, to his God-given equipment for the Christian life.

a.     There are the God-given qualities of mind:

1). Purity: purity of heart, blamelessness

2). Understanding: knowledge of the Christian life, moral wisdom.

3). Patience: steadfastness, long suffering, perservarance.

b.     There are the God-given qualities of heart:

1). Kindness: moral goodness, integrity

2). The Holy Spirit: may refer to a spirit of holiness

3). Sincere Love: unfeigned, undisguised

c.      There is the God-given equipment for the work of preaching the gospel.

1). In truthful speech:

2). In the power of God:

3). With weapons of righteousness for the left hand and for the right hand: this means the weapons for defense and for attack.

Eph 6:11 “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

6.     Jesus said “in the world you will have tribulations, but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world.”