Old Llantrisant Hill
Introduction
- Serving Jesus is tough
- You can face rejection
- There are disappointments
- Satan opposes the Christian
- Serving Jesus is a great privilege
- 2 Corinthians - a sense of difficulty/hardship but ...
- We do not work alone
- We have Christ is in us
- We have the energising power of the Holy Spirit
- We have the love of God
- We have the love, prayer and fellowship of God's people
- We see God's work prospering throughout the world
- Paul was significantly persecuted
- He had the threat of death upon him
- He knew what it was to be abandoned
- He faced pain
- He founded the church of Corinth - but there was much here to cause heartache
- Yet he thanked God for the Corinthian church
- To date:
- Chapter 1 - Paul's comfort in suffering
- He could boast with a clear conscience - 1 Cor 1:12
- He was certain in the promises of God
- Chapter 2 - He exhorted the church
- To bring the disciplined repentant back into fellowship
- Tonight:
- Lessons we learn in ministry
Serving is about following the leading of God (v12-13)
- A quick reading suggests Paul is abandoning his post
- Let us think this through
- He must have tested the door
- How would he know a door was opened unless he had been preaching and seen God's response
- He says that God opened the door
- We can be thankful that we have doors opened to us
- He had no rest in his spirit
- Because he could not find Titus
- Did he feel alone in Troas as a preacher?
- Was he concerned for Titus?
- Paul had sent a letter with Titus to the Corinthians
- Perhaps he so loved the Corinthians?
- Is it right to listen to our feelings?
- We should not be controlled by our feelings - examples
- When we are not right/troubled in spirit
- We are not told the reason - but he had been to Troas before
- Remember the man in the vision
- A church had been found in Troas - Acts 20
- We are to be fruitful where we are, but if God moves us on, we are to move on
- It is wise to consult with others
- Ultimately, we must follow God's leading
Serving is about being the fragrance of Christ (v14-16)
- This is our chief calling
- To be the fragrance of Christ - by diffusing His knowledge in every place
- Even if we make mistakes, God can overrule
- If God is for us, who can be against us
- Example of a triumphal procession
- Perhaps Paul has this picture in mind
- We must not have a defeatist spirit
- Yes, there are some that reject the gospel
- This does not diminish our salvation
- We are to be a fragrance first to God
- Paul always lived before God
- Our sufficiency is from God (v16)
- Many will reject
- The gospel divides - some believe, some reject
- Example of Josh Wallis - may this help us to spread the gospel
Serving is about being sincere (v17)
- Motive matters more than action
- Sincere love for God and souls?
- Some were "peddling" the gospel" - wanting influence, power and money
- We live before God - our one motive is to please Him
- People knew Paul and his companion's character
- What about us?
- Do we serve before God?
- Let us be sincere at all time
Serving is evidenced by changed live (3:1-3)
- Paul does not need commendation
- God's work in Corinth was clear
- Their sincere ministry has had an impact on people's lives
- Our ministry needs to have impact/effect upon others
- Personal example
- As human beings we often see change over months and years
- Christian growth is like this
- The evidence of the Corinthians changes lives - is proof of their ministry
- May our Christian service results in impact upon others
Serving is about dependance on the Lord (v4-6)
- Paul had such trust in Christ
- Not a proud spirit
- This faith has come from God
- Through the trials
- They had genuine faith
- They had learnt to trust God more and more
- God had enabled them
- The trusted in the Holy Spirit
- 2 Cor 9:8
- Do you feel limited in resources?
- There is an abundance of grace in God
- "We can do all things through Him who strengthens me" - Phil 4:13
Closing Remarks