Paul Answers His Critics - 31

The kid out read about the life and ministry of the apostle Paul, without realizing that he faced an enormous number of obstacles in his gospel work everywhere he went on believing Jews opposed him and tried to prohibit him from preaching the gospel more than one occasion. Gentile governments impeded him and threw him in jail tried to stop his activities.

Physical infirmities and sickness and weakness certainly took their toll upon him defections by ministry colleagues discouraged him greatly from time to time one of his biggest impediments was false teachers who followed him wherever he went to weaken young Christians by their criticisms of the apostle Paul. Paul clearly had a number of such critics in the city of Corinth who were snapping at the heels of the members of the church really can't tell if any of them were in the church if they were all outside of somewhere outside and some in, but it's very clear that they were certainly influencing members of the church in a very dangerous way so they were sufficiently dangerous, that Paul found it necessary to address these critics and teeth. Has he does so in a very extensive way in the last several chapters of the second Corinthian epistle, so moving into the section as we did last Lord's day, and took of verses one through eight. We spoke concerning Paul confronting his critics. Today we continue this passage as we consider Paul answering his critics that a great deal of difference there.

But two things that are going out of the chapter number one. Paul is confronting critics and number two he is answering their criticisms. That's what we shall see in verses nine through 18 of second Corinthians 10 today there are two things primarily that the critics were saying about him number one they were criticizing Paul's unimpressive personality, at least as they were judged, his personality, and number two, they criticized Paul's unimpressive performance again as they judged ministry performance. So first of all, they attacked his personality which they considered to be weekend insufficient and inadequate in every way. So we read in verse nine lest I seem to terrify you by letters for his letters they say are weighty and powerful, but he's bodily presence is weak and speech contemptible. Let such a person. Consider this, but what we are in word by letters when we are absent such, we will also be indeed when we are present is powerful. Letters verses nine and 10, which could not be denied but is weak personal presence as was stated in verse 10, and the reality of these two criticisms stated clearly in verse 11. But it is also very obvious that Paul's letters were significant they were way too now verse nine is a little bit ambiguous because of the Greek construction my translation says, lest I seem to terrify you by letters and that's a continuation of verse eight will not back up into that right now, but there are different ways that these words could be translated. Paul could be saying I will write less so that I do not terrify you by my letters. In other words, I'm going to cut short. Some of the things that I might otherwise say in this epistle because you are already on edge by the powerful weight of my letters.

And so I'm going to back off a bit and not give you the full weight of my letters at this time that may be what he's saying. Some scholars think he is or he may be saying something like this. He was never my intention to terrify you by my letters if I did that wasn't my purpose that wasn't my intention all likelihood, that really wasn't the truth. In other words, they probably didn't terrify the Corinthians to the degree that the critics said they did. This is being exaggerated by them.

In order to accomplish their purposes but nevertheless there's some measure of truth in it. Paul's letters are weighty what he said did have some sticking to it at the time, those who were guilty of disobedience and unbelief felt the weight of the truth of God's word. Driving home to their soul and correcting their lives by Paul's weighty letters and so Paul is acknowledging what his critics have already acknowledged, namely his letters are substantial. There weighty Paul doesn't tell us why his letters were powerful but clearly they were even the critics acknowledged they were the critics who would have liked to have diminished his letters demeaned his letters as they did his personal presence, but they really couldn't.

It was too obvious. The Corinthians. All felt the weight of Paul's letters. So for the critics to say his letters don't amount to much, would have turned the members of the church against the critics they would've recognized that the critics were entirely wrong, and so the critics are forced to acknowledge what everybody saw was true that Paul's letters were exceedingly powerful, but the question is why is that so Paul doesn't tell us I'm going to have to venture my own observations and opinions.

At this point, but I think there are three reasons why they Paul's letters were indeed weighty number one is because they were filled with theology or some prefer the word doctrine, but Paul's letters are weighty and substantial in their dealing with Christian doctrine, Christian theology, they are some of the most substantial portions of all the Bible and though to some people that seems to be a negative. But we don't need all that theology. We don't need all that doctrine people. Christians particularly need to realize that's what makes God's word powerful is the powerful truth that it deals with the majestic God that it tells us about the revelation of God that is brought to our souls.

This is given to us in the word of God. It was particularly conspicuous in the epistles of Paul and that is a very major factor in why they were so weighty and powerful because of the weighty powerful subject matter that he was dealing, but I think is a second reason of that is because of Paul's pointed applications. He wasn't afraid to step on toes. He wasn't afraid to apply truth where it needed to be applied. He wasn't afraid to tell people what was true and to take the doctrine of the theology of God's word and to bring it to bear upon people's lives where they were lacking where they needed to repent where they needed to train did that without apology and again that gave his letters. Some might. That's not a bad thing. That's a good is the unwillingness of many in our day to deal with substantial truth on the one hand, or to do say anything that might possibly offend anybody on the other hand, that makes so much Christian ministries so so powerless, so ineffective, so irrelevant.

It's strange that the very things that modern Christians think are necessary to make the Christian message relevant in this modern world turned out to be the things that generally make it relevant because you're taking out the weight the power of the teeth.

The substance the truth that never changes hasn't changed from the beginning of time, and it certainly hasn't changed from the days of the apostle Paul. The truth of God is unchanging and unchangeable. It does not change. It cannot change. It is not up to us to edit it and rewrite it and make it more acceptable and palatable and relevant to our present world.

It's our responsibility to proclaim it and to the degree that we do our message will be powerful and to the degree that we failed to our message is going to be weak. Paul's letters were powerful because of the theology that he dealt with in the pointed applications that he was willing to make the number three most important. Paul's letters were powerful because they are divinely inspired.

They are powerful because they are not just the words of a man. Paul but they are also the words of the Holy Spirit of God in this strange marriage of the human and the divine how God brought together in the book we call the Bible the human element of divine authorship words written by fallible men that nevertheless wrote the infallible word of God as they were guided and superintended and empowered by the spirit of God holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit and that makes Paul's letters powerful because they are not just the words of Paul.

They are the words of Almighty God.

But after making reference to his powerful letters which even his critics acknowledge Paul moved to London to their charge about his week personal presence when they said his letters, they say verse 10 are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak in his speech contemptible. His bodily presence is weak. What exactly is meant. There is also the subject of some debate, but it's probably not so much his physical appearance is he speaking style, which is clearly referred to here. We know it's the latter. We know they're talking about is speaking style while they also including with that he is rather unimpressive physical presence may be so, maybe not the impression we get about Paul is that he was rather small. That is as a person he was not imposing. He was not a big strong robust sort of man.

Some men, by the way they are built command attention. Just when they stand up behind the pulpit.

John McKnight strikes me that way. He stands up and says to words and immediately were all riveted by the power of his personal presence. God is needed. That way God uses in that way he possesses that characteristic to a very extraordinary degree not very men very many men do. So there men like that there are men who have a more ordinary presence and then there are those who have a rather diminutive presence sometimes because of their short stature, though, doesn't have to be like, sometimes dynamite comes a little packages. As you know, but nevertheless, Paul seems to come across as a rather small man and as he told us earlier in this chapter he doesn't intend to come along with a lot of bombast. He rather comes in the gentleness and meekness of rights so they said his physical appearance, his bodily presence is weak and what they are peer to be referring to more than anything else, is the fact that Paul did not conform himself to the expected Greek cultural oratorical style. There was a certain style that Greek culture had spread throughout the Roman world started to say had created. But I suppose that's a little too strong a word, but a certain style.

The Greek culture had cultivated would be an appropriate word throughout the Roman world that put a great deal of emphasis upon flourishing oratory. In other words, more on the manner of one speaking than upon the substance of the message more than the substance of what one said to the Greek. It wasn't so important what one said they were all interested in how he said it while listen to that impressive construction of that sentence. Listen to that rhetorical flourish. Listen to the way that he does that see those impressive gestures. Watch his imposing banner. His flourishing oratorical style and they judged that to be impressive speech, weighty speech and Paul tells us that he didn't do that deliberately by design.

He did not employ those techniques, though he was well trained and could have and probably the previous day. Did before he was saved. But he came to understand something in namely that that kind of rhetorical flourish. Actually, in most cases turns out to be an impediment to the message rather than a help to it, it gets in the way of the message because too much attention is brought to the messenger into his style of speech rather than to the content of what you say and therefore the criticism that was leveled against him by these false teachers was actually a compliment and what they did realize was they were actually pointing to what made Paul more effective, but they thought it was something that made him less effective because of their wrong way of evaluating things positive earlier in the chapter.

Your problem is that you are measuring things according to outward appearance rather than measuring them by the truth of God's word and this is one of those things that fell into that category. They heard Paul speak, and they said well that's pretty humdrum. He doesn't captivate us by his oratory.

Yes, but he captivates the minds and hearts of all people who are interested in eternal truth because the attention of Christ sheep because they hear the voice of the shepherd and what he says in the content of his message.

My sheep said Jesus, hear my voice. I know them, they follow me. So the very fact that these critics did not find his speech to be particularly interesting arresting actually said more about their hearts condition that it did about the apostle Paul had actually revealed the defectiveness of their spiritual condition. There we go spiritual life or absence of spiritual life by making this criticism about Paul not being an effective speaker. They sought to weaken Paul's influence and apparently that criticism was having some impact upon the Corinthian members they had notice that when Paul was there Paul was there preaching to them because they had heart strange by the spirit of God. They found what he had to say very interesting, but other critics are say he's up. He's a pretty mediocre speaker. There's there's nothing very powerful and compelling about his presence and they said well you know I guess you're right.

So Paul needs to correct this criticism of the does so in verse 11 very clearly let such a person. The person who makes this kind of criticism.

Let such a person. Consider this, that what we are in word by letters by letters when we are absent such, we will also be indeed when we are present. Let any critic of my bodily presence.

Consider this that would consider this could be translated calculate this need to weigh this, according to all of the evidence, not just the outward appearance, let such a critic calculate this that I am the same person in presence that I am in my letters. I'm not two different people to different personalities and I don't write powerful letters and then column is an entirely different person. I am who I am. I am Paul the apostle. I am who I am, by the grace of God, I'm the same person.

When I write my letters is when I come and preach to you in person. In both cases, I am emphasizing the word of God.

I do that in my epistles. And that's what makes them waiting powerful and I do that in my preaching, which also makes it weighty and powerful for those who have ears to hear and eyes to see that we sign I can pick it up because our faith to rise because our eyes to see your majestic love and authority for those have who have eyes to see it given to them by the spirit of God. It's it's obvious that Paul is speaking powerful truth of these the same person, whether present or absent. But Paul says you need to realize on the same person you need to realize that I am willing and able to fight in person when it's necessary. I don't want to. I don't like to. I prefer not to.

In fact, in the earlier verses event that don't make me do it make me come with boldness to deal with disobedient people. I would much prefer to come in meekness and gentleness and deal with submissive, believing people, but if there are some holdouts in your membership in the in the church will not submit to the authority of God's word when I come you'll find out that I am just as weighty and powerful. When I'm president as I am when I'm writing my epistles. I am fully capable of and willing to and determined to exercise appropriate church discipline upon those who will not submit to divine authority market down. Don't forget it.

The critics wrongfully judged by outward appearance using worldly standards. They thought that ministerial success required a forceful and impressive personality. They failed to understand the divine element which is largely unseen.

This is completely unseen to those who don't have eyes to see it who haven't been given eyes by the spirit of God but the truth of the matter is God honors his word, and the truth of the matter is that God uses weak human vessels to accomplish his divine work in the case of the apostle Paul.

He had chosen to use someone whose bodily presence was not normally impressive by worldly standards, and yet God chose to some speak through him powerfully to accomplish eternal work eternal advancement of Christ's kingdom. So number one. The critics camped on Paul's unimpressive personality which actually wasn't true, except only in a very superficial and worldly sense and number two, they zeroed in on what they considered to be Paul's unimpressive performance. Verses 12 through 18. They were using three false standards of judgment to arrive at this conclusion, the Paul's performance as a minister of the gospel was rather unimpressive. Number one they used faulty comparison verse 12, number two, they used empty boasting verses 13 through 16 and number three. These meaningless commendations verses 17 and 18. First of all, this is all based upon faulty comparisons verse 12 Paul says for we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves, but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise bosses. I refuse to judge myself by human comparisons.

That's not the standard by which to judge my performance, whether it is impressive or not. I do not compare myself with others, and that's what most people do. That's what the critics did. That's what they know.how they judge themselves by comparing themselves with others like them. That's the way the world and that's the way of many carnal Christians. I prayed comparing ourselves with other people.

It's part of the Adamic fallenness. We do this naturally, we have to unlearn it.

We have to learn not to do it we have to push it back will be doing this without even realizing it.

This can be either by comparing ourselves with other people or the wording of verse 12 could also include the idea of selecting favorable standards that reflect one strength in the measuring oneself by that.

So if I'm strong in this particular area that becomes a very important standard for success in the fun week of this particular area. I just leave that off the list of what's important. So I met my list of what what makes a person an effective Christian effective preacher effective minister of the gospel. I make my list according to what puts me in the most favorable light and I hold that up for myself to see I'm doing really good I meet all the standards of my own criterion. I hold this up for other people to see the can you see how impressive I am. I need all these standards, Paul said stop it, but that is the way the many in our day. Evaluate themselves. Many preachers do. I don't attend those kinds of conferences anymore, but years ago in my earlier years, I used to go to conferences and preachers were present in your meeting one for the first time in almost the first question out of his mouth.

After after introductions. Naaman where you're from, is how many Iranian people templates, how big is your church, how small is your church, your brother, and that becomes the standard by which everyone's evaluated.

If you're running a lot your big Cuba run just a handful. Your inconsequential, shut up, sit down and learn from us big guys. You know how it's done hey don't be too critical of preachers because Christians are doing the same thing all the time comparing themselves with others in and pronouncing themselves good in the basis of these human standards, comparing themselves by themselves.

In many Christian institutions do the same thing. Schools do that they compare themselves with others.

Other schools, they line up the strengths of their school and they say look how strong we are. How much better we are in the school over here that doesn't have the strengths, ignoring of course there weaknesses in the fact that other school may be strong in the areas where there week, so it happens. Institutions just like it happens in individualism happens with churches, our church is the best church because of Bubba Bubba neglecting the… And on it goes out and goes comparisons comparisons comparisons comparisons rating's buses. That's not wise it's a bunch of foolishness.

Why don't used instead just just commit yourself to comparing yourself with Christ. How do you measure up to him restrict yourself to evaluations that come only from the Bible itself.

How do you measure up. According to that. Beyond that really doesn't matter to faulty comparison to judge things by comparing them with other people but by that standard, then Paul's performance didn't seem to be that impressive to them but number two only faulty comparisons but empty boasting's visions of what is one is going to do the person who has the biggest vision the person has the, the, the grandest game. The person who can convince others of the greatness of what he's going to do. That's the that's the greatest one empty boasting verses 13 through 16 buses. We will not boast beyond measure within the limits of the sphere which God has appointed us. They sphere which especially includes you. We are not overextending ourselves as though her authority did not extend to you for it was to you that we can with the gospel of Christ boasting of things beyond measure that is in another man's labors, but having hope that as your faith is increased, we shall be greatly enlarged by you in your sphere to preach the gospel in the regions beyond. You not to boast another man's fear of accomplishment. What is this all about empty. Boasting first of all, boasting beyond what is appropriate I will not boast beyond measure. You'd expect Paul to say I will boasted off and normally doesn't because he recognizes that's a rather carnal way of dealing with things on the one hand, Christians should boasted anything but Christ and the gospel is the closes this chapter with, but he doesn't say that it's always inappropriate to boast, that is, it's always inappropriate to list your accomplishments, particularly in a situation like this when that's the only thing that some people understand. That's the only thing that the critics can understand because they don't have a spiritual yardstick.

The pulses I refuse to boast beyond measure. I refuse to boast beyond and he uses some language here.

I refuse to boast beyond God's appointed sphere of ministry. I'm not gonna boast beyond the area of ministry that God is assigned to me when she goes on the same clothes you includes Corinth, I came to Corinth because it was part of my assigned sphere, God sent me to you and I preach the gospel to you and God used it in your hearts, you were changed. You were say by my preaching and coming to you. That was all part of God's assignment. That's the sphere of my ministry, but I'm not going to boast beyond that sphere.

I'm not going to talk about all the great things I'm going to do beyond what I've already done talking about. Some people are full of boasting in and there are people who are who go gaga over that while look what he's going to do while wait a minute. Remember which Old Testament king wasn't one of the kings I think of Judah challenge the king of Israel to come out to battle and the kingdom of Israel, said boast when you put your sword on like somebody was taking it off.

In other words, wait till you win before you boast about what you going to do policy just restrict your rehearsal of accomplishments to what you have actually accomplished in the sphere, the God is assigned to you. Keep it there so empty boasting is boasting beyond what is appropriate and empty boasting is beyond actual accomplishments. Paul touches once again on the issue of authority, which was part of the whole thing here that the critics were trying to undermine Paul's authority.

He doesn't have any authority here. He can't tell you what to do and Paul says yes I do have authority because you are part of the assignment that God gave to me you exist as a church, which also includes, of course, the individual members of the church that have been saved, you exist because God shows to use me to come to you and preach the gospel and God chose to make what I preached effective in your heart.

And that gives me spiritual authority over you, to simple as that pulses I'm not going to horn in on somebody else's accomplishments are not in a boast about what somebody else does. I'm not interested in ministering where other people have ministered that there's a whole wide world out here where nobody has gone to preach the gospel and God has made me the apostle to the Gentiles, and he sent me out across the Roman world and I'm operating within the sphere of the God is assigned to me and he says I I do plan to go beyond but I can't do that until you get things straightened out Corinth when you get things established so that I don't have to stay here and make sure that your on the right track. Then I can go on beyond your obedience, your faith is actually a door that will indicate whether God wants me to go beyond Corinth to new regions. Up until this time Corinth was the farthest point West Paula God.

You can check it out on the map and you can learn by reading say the book of Romans that Paul's ambition was to go on as far as Spain. He had wide ambitions of what he intended to accomplish God allowing but he said I not going any not to sit 1 foot beyond Corinth until I know that you are establishing the truth here and are obedient to Christ until we get this thing sorted out, we just stop right here. We hunker down and get this right. Not boasting about what I haven't done and just simply rehearsing what I have done that.

Finally, meaningless, can commendations verses 17 and 18 but he who glories leading blurring the Lord for 4 kn key who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends self commendation is worthless.

The commendation of others is mixed.

There may be some value in that someone say will I know this man. He has a solid ministry there some value in that at times, but it can also become very misleading.

Ultimately, it's only God's commendation matters.

God commands you, then you are commanded that God doesn't, then you're not. That's all that really matters. And of course that commendation is ultimately realized only in heaven you'll never get that fully here upon the earth.

But Paul does deal with some preliminary divine commendation here upon the earth.

God's commendation is what matters will how do you know that by the evidence of what God has done in your life to bring about visible fruit for the kingdom of Christ. Paul dealt with that earlier in this epistle. Remember in chapter 3 verse 20 said, do we begin again to commend ourselves. There's that same idea human commendation doing begin to commend ourselves or do we need to some others epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from youth do we need other people to to write a letter of recommendation so that you'll know that we are a true minister of Christ.

Then he goes on to say this in verse two. You are our epistle.

You are our epistle of commendation written in our hearts, known and read by all men. Clearly you are an epistle of Christ ministered by us in one sense God gets all the glory you are an epistle of Christ, but he forgot get down the dirt like the critics are and and fight like a bunch of kindergartners then I point out that you are Christ epistle ministered by us, God shows you send me to establish the church in Corinth. That's why you exist, written not with ink but by the spirit of the living God, not in tables of stone but on tables of flesh that is on that is of the heart there. He talked about the commendation that is Christ and is seen before we get to heaven for those who have eyes to see it.

You can see Christ commendation in the life and ministry of a man by what Christ chooses to accomplish through his life God's commendation is all that ultimately matters but there is this preliminary commendation that is the evidence of God's hand at work upon a life.

In other words, Paul has, by the grace of God planted multiple churches.

Paul is saying, in effect, to the critics where the church is your planet. The Paul clearly doesn't enjoy doing the sort of thing, but he's not unwilling to do it when it's needed criticizing may in the work I've done, what are you doing your following me around trying to horn and on what I have done in planting churches you don't have a single one to show for your work colder than one sense he accomplished nothing.

It was all of God, but he also knew the God chose to use him to accomplish some very substantial work in the kingdom of Christ. In a way that the critics had not been used so they really had no ground to stand on. Where do they get the standing to evaluate Paul's ministry. When you can see by the visible fruit of churches planted all across the Roman Empire that he was an effective minister of Christ to God. A greatly used and you don't have anything like that to show for your labors so why do you think you've got the right to judge him to criticize him to evaluate him.

He's got Christ's commendation on his life. You don't have Christ commendation on your ministry and Christ commendation is the only thing that really matters is not only in Paul's day, that those with no visible accomplishments. Think that they ought to tell others how they should do their work, or even worse, those with no visible accomplishments who take credit for an expected benefit from the accomplishments of others to get personal. At this point, I can tell you that when the Lord directed Marty and I to come here to begin a new church that was not on my mind. That was not what I wanted to do and I really my first response was no, but the Lord made it so crystal clear that that's what he wanted us to do that we couldn't refuse.

And here we came in. Now, 47, almost 48 years later, there is a church to show for it. I'm well aware that I I I deserve no credit for any of that. It's all what God has done.

It's all by his grace.

I'm I'm responsible for a lot of weaknesses. Mistakes are not responsible for any success, but in this realm.

In this realm from time to time somebody will come along and say will if I were pastor of that church. I wouldn't do it the way you're doing it I would do it this way will go do it at your church when you planet the ultrasound like Absalom trying to take the throne from King David sitting at the gate of the city and flattering the men of the city and telling them what they wanted to hear thing out of I were kidding, I would do it this way, but Absalom. God didn't make you kick things. Not a perfect king but Absalom you are not okay God made David Chang so recognize that and stop this foolishness of telling people what you would do if you were kidding. If and when you become King which of course he didn't and wouldn't. But if God makes you kidding, then there's time enough to to employ your ideas. See how house sound. They are, but until God makes you kidding, then seal your lips and recognize that flawed as the instrument may be the God is using that's the one that God chose to use God used him to plant the church, not you. So recognize that God's doing. I have a dear friend and ministry in faraway place labored long and hard to start a church and accomplish that in a country where that is very rare becoming more rare in America. I know a lot of good men good preachers good solid men who tried to plant churches, and after certain time period of time, sometimes several years. They just they could couldn't get off the ground and finally gave up. It didn't didn't work it didn't go, they went on to other ministries where they work, planting churches, and they did fine, but they were not evidently according to God's design successful church planters, yet there are others who don't seem to have as many gifts that God has used to establish churches how to explain that it's God's doing. But when God does it. And there's the evidence of it, then recognize that that's what God has chosen to do and submit yourself accordingly. But I know this friend who labored long and hard for years, meeting in a rented school for years, establish a good church and finally, miraculously, really, was able to acquire a building in a place where churches rarely got to that stage of development just because of the conditions in the country.

Beautiful building. God provided, and then someone came along and undermined stole the hearts of the people stole the ministry crushed my friend. He went on ministry, but he never had the same enthusiasm to get it crushed my friend because what he had labored for for years was stolen away from him by somebody who did labor for the coveted the success that God had given him. They wanted that building. They wanted that ministry when someone else to put all the work and labor. And it made something happen that almost was very difficult to accomplish. And they stole it.

Don't worry, God will judge God to not blind to what took place just wait till the judgment day God will take care of that well in closing three things we should learn number one God uses human vessels to accomplish his work. That's God's plan. Number two, we are prone to be influenced by human comparisons and we need to get over that number three.

We must learn these lessons and I will give you these four in closing, number one to submit to God's revealed methods not at our own number two to fulfill our God appointed task, not add to that or subtract from it. Number three. To refuse to intrude into God's unique work there certain things that God is has reserved unto himself. And we can't do, and we make a mess of things.

When we don't recognize that we try we can't say people we can't regenerate hearts, we can't we can bring people to salvation. So quit trying. All these manipulative psychological tactics to make happen when God is reserved for himself. All you're doing is making a mess of it. Number four to trust God to results not to evaluate by human standards and when we learn that we will be doing things God's way, will be honored and blessed by him, shall we pray father, help us to understand these truths you have given us in your word and to be faithful servants in your vineyard. According to your truth