Therefore, we are ambassadors in the name of Christ, as if God were calling through us. In Christ’s name, therefore, we pray for him to be reconciled to God. He who did not know sin, he made to sin for us; so that in him we would do the justice of God. And we, as collaborators of him, also exhort you not to receive God’s grace in vain (because he says: I listened to you at the moment of the occasion and I helped you on the day of salvation; now is the most opportune moment, it is it is the day of salvation); giving us no cause for scandal, lest the ministry be censored. On the contrary, in everything recommending themselves as ministers of God: with great patience, in afflictions, in trials, in anguish, in whips, in prisons, in disturbances, in works, in vigils, in fasting , in purity, in knowledge, with patience, with goodness, with the Holy Spirit, with sincere love, with the word of truth, with the power of God, with the arms of justice, whether offensive or defensive; for honor and dishonor, for infamy and good reputation, for deceivers and for being truthful; as unknown and yet well known; as if we were dying and yet, behold, we live; as punished, but not dead; saddened, but still joyful; poor, but enriching for many; have nothing, but own everything. For you Corinthians, our lips are open and our hearts are enlarged. You have no limit on us; but you are limited in your own affections. Now, as a just retribution (I speak to you as children), you also develop (2Co 5. 20? 6. 13).
Let me say here, from the beginning, the main point of this chapter is:
What the world needs from the Church is our indomitable joy in Jesus in the midst of suffering and sadness.
I have tried these thirty-two and a half years to lead the team, the elders, and the entire Baptist Church of Bethlehem in the experience of feeling sad, but still joyful. Dismayed return from religious services that are treated as radio shows, where everything sounds like talk, something fun and lively, designed to make people feel happy, playful and excited. I look at these services and say to myself, “You don’t know that there are people who die of cancer, whose marriage is hell, whose children have deeply disappointed them, who barely earn income, who have just lost their jobs, who feel lonely, fearful, misunderstood and depressed?And will you try to create an atmosphere of playful, irreverent, relaxed, light and fun worship?
And, of course, there will be those who will hear me say this and say, “Ah, then you think what these people need is a melancholy, dark, tense, heavy and solemn atmosphere. “
What they need is to see and feel an indomitable joy in Jesus in the midst of suffering and sadness. “Sad, but always joyful. ” They have to show that these people who are part of the church do not play here, they do not use religion as a platform to promote the sensationalist self-help that the world offers every day, they need the greatness and majesty of God above their heads as galaxies of hope; they need the unsinkable, crucified, and risen Christ, hugging them with love, with their faces and hands covered in blood; and they need the rock thousands of miles deep from the word of God under their feet. to hear us sing with all our heart and soul,
Fearful Saints, renewed courage, The clouds you fear so much are filled with mercy and will pour out on blessings upon your head.
Your target will mature quickly, unfolding in time; The cocoon may taste bitter, but the flower will be sweet.
They need to hear the indomitable joy of sadness as we sing
Your oath, your covenant and your blood, support me in the devastating flood. When everything yields around my soul, it’s all my hope and my calm.
If you ask me, “Doesn’t the world need to see Christians as happy people so that they can know the truth of our faith and be attracted to the great Savior?”, My answer is :?yes, yes, yes?. And do you need to see that our happiness is an indomitable work of Christ in the midst of our sadness?A sadness probably deeper than they ever thought we lived every day. They need to see us “sad, but always happy. “
So, are we going to put some of this rock under our feet now?The rock of the word of God.
We’ll focus on 2 Corinthians 6. 3-10. Why did I focus on what the world needs?Why did I formulate the main point of this sermon as follows: “What the world needs from the church is our indomitable joy in Jesus in the midst of suffering and pain?The answer is in verses 3 and 4. Paul says: “We give no reason for scandal, unless the ministry is censored. On the contrary, in all recommended as ministers of God?
In other words, Paul says, “What am I going to do in this chapter to remove barriers and recommend our ministry?”Our life and our message? He wants the church of Corinth and the world not to reject him, to walk away, not to misunderstand who he is, what he teaches and who he represents. He wants to convince them. If you want to use a language that seeks the observer’s friendship, see how Paul does it.
It’s amazing what he’s doing here. Many experienced communicators on the growth of the church today would not have a category for this way of removing barriers and recommending Christianity. In fact, some will say, “Paulo, don’t remove obstacles, you create obstacles. “
Then we see Paul removing the barriers and recommending his ministry. That, he says, is what the world needs.
It does so in three steps: 1) describes the suffering it suffers; 2) describes the character you are trying to show; and 3) describes the paradoxes of Christian life.
First, it describes the suffering he suffers for Christ (2C 6. 3-5)
Without giving us a cause for scandal, let us not be censured, on the contrary, in all to be recommended as ministers of God: with great patience, in afflictions, in deprivation, in anguish, in whips, in prisons, in turmoil, at work. , in vigils, in fasting.
You may ask yourself, “How do you remove this barriers?Why doesn’t that scare people instead of attracting them?
Second, it describes the character you are trying to display (2Co 6. 6-7):
? In purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in sincere love, in the word of truth, in the power of God, in the weapons of righteousness, whether offensive or defensive [probably the sword of the Spirit on the right and the shield of faith on the left, Ephesians 6:16-17].
Therefore, instead of being bitter, frustrated, irritated, and resentful of all afflictions, difficulties, calamities, jobs, and sleepless nights, by the grace of God, Paul showed patience, kindness, and love; his mind was not broke by pain. In Holy Esperito, he found resources to give and not complain, to be patient in God’s time, rather than pitying oneself, to be kind to people rather than to blame others.
And third, Paul describes the paradoxes of Christian life (2 Cor 6:8-10):
By honor and dishonor, by infamy and good fame, as deceptive and true; as unknown and yet well known; as if we were dying, and yet behold, we live; as punished, but not dead. saddened, but always joyful; poor, but rewarding for many; I have nothing but to own everything.
When you walk in the light, exercise your ministry in the power of the Holy Ghost, and tell the truth “with purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, and love,” some people will honor you, and others will dishonor you (verse 8a); some will slander him and others will praise him (verse 8b). And this dishonor and slander can take the form of calling you an imposter (verse 8c). “You’re not sincere, are you just a religious hypocrite?
Remember what Jesus said: “Oh to you, when everyone praises you!Why did your parents do this to false prophets?(Lk 6. 26). This means that in Paul’s mind, a mixed reception (some honoring and praising, some dishonorable and defamatory) was part of his recommendation. He removed the obstacle that says, “You cannot be a true prophet, everyone speaks well of you. “
Then come another six paradoxes. If he is not paying attention, he may understand that Paul corrects the misperceptions of Christians, but this is not the case. What is intended here are the perceptions of strangers. But Paul says, “What you see is true, but it is not. the whole truth or the main truth. “
Verse 9a: We see yourself as “unknown and yet well known”. Yes, we are no one in the Roman Empire, a small movement that follows a crucified and resurrected king. But, oh, we are known to God, and that is what counts (1Co 8:3; Gal 4. 9).
Verse 9b: Do you see us as if we are dying and still live?Yes, we die every day. We are crucified with Christ; some of us are arrested and killed; But, oh, we live because Christ is our life now and he will resurrect us from the dead.
Verse 9c: Do you see us as punished, but not yet dead?Yes, we endure many human and divine punishments, but God has saved our deaths many times and will forgive us until our work is finished.
Verse 10a: Do you see us?Sad, but [always] always happy?Yes, we’re sad. There are countless reasons why our hearts are bitter. But in all this, we keep rejoicing; It’s one of the greatest paradoxes of Christian life!
Verse 10b: Do you see us? Poor, but do they enrich a lot? Yes, we are poor in terms of the wealth of this world, but we do not live to get rich in things, we live to make people rich in Jesus.
Verse 10c: Do you see us?. In a sense, we consider that everything is a loss in relation to the sublimity of the knowledge of Christ Jesus (Fil. 3. 8). But in truth, we are children of God and, if they are children, heirs of God and consistent with Christ (Romans 8:17). For every Christian, Paul says: “Everything is yours; whether Paul, or Apollo, or Cephas, or the world, or life, death, or the present, or the future; everything is yours, and you are the Christ and the Christ of God. ? (1 Corinthians 3: 21-23).
Now remember what Paul said in verse 3: “Don’t give us cause for scandal, let us not be censored by the ministry. On the contrary, in all those who are recommended as ministers of God?Have you removed obstacles to faith, recommended truth and courage?Has your life, message, and Lord done the exact opposite of that: the gospel of prosperity?That’s what I’ve been doing.
What obstacle did you remove? He removed the obstacle that one might think paul is in the ministry of money, or for earthly comfort and comfort. Did he give all the evidence that he could prove he’s not a Christian?And he’s not in the apartment? But today there are many pastors who think the exact opposite, feel that having a luxurious house, a luxurious car and fancy clothes recommend their ministry, that is not Paul’s way of thinking. were obstacles.
Because? Because if they lured someone to Christ, it would be for the wrong reason. It would be because they think Jesus enriches people and makes life comfortable and easy. No one should come unto Christ for this reason. Attracting people to Christ with prosperous lifestyles and shrewd, lively, joyful, playful and superficial games, as if it were joy in Christ, will attract some people, but not because Christ is seen in his glory and that Christian life presents himself as the way to judgment. Many false conversions happen this way.
So how does Paul recommend his ministry, his life, his message, and his Lord?
Verse 4: “In everything recommending ourselves as ministers of God”. As? To show that knowing Christ, being known to Christ, having eternal life with Christ is better than all earthly wealth, prosperity, and comfort. We recommend our lives and ministry through afflictions. We recommend our life and our ministry in the midst of calamities. We recommend our life and ministry for sleepless nights. What does that mean? Christ is real to us and Christ is infinitely precious, and must be more desired than any wealth or comfort in this world. This is our recommendation: when everything yields around our souls, it is all our hope and calmness.
What does it mean (v. 10) that part of Paul’s recommendation to the world is that he was sad, but still happy?What the world needs from the Church is our indomitable joy in Jesus in the midst of suffering and sadness.
Let me offer you two examples of these ‘sad but always happy’: one from Jesus and one from Paul.
When Jesus said in Matthew 5: 11-12: “Blessed art you when you are insulted and persecuted and, lying, say all evil against you for my sake. Rejoice and rejoice, for your reward is great in heaven. “You think it’s random that the following thing he said is, “Are you the salt of the earth?”Are you the light of the world? I don’t think it was random. I believe that the taste of salt that the world needs the taste and brightness of light that the world needs to see is exactly that indomitable joy in the midst of sadness.
Joy in the midst of health? Joy amidst wealth and comfort? And when everyone speaks well of you? Why does that mean anything to the world? The world already has that, but an indomitable joy in sadness? That the world does not have, this is what Jesus came to give to this fallen, painful and ruined sin.
Or consider Paul’s dying experience of losing his Jewish parents in Romans 9:2-3. Remember that Paul is the one who said in Philippians 4. 4: “Always rejoice in the Lord; again I say, rejoice. But in Romans 9: 2. -3, he writes: “That I have great sadness and continuous pain in my heart. Why might I wish to be anathema to Christ, for the love of my brethren, who are my parents according to the flesh?Don’t ignore the terrible burden of speech in verse 2. “That I have great sadness and continuous pain in my heart,” because my parents perish in disbelief and are separated from the Messiah. Does Paul disobey his own order to rejoice always? No, because he said in 2 Corinthians 6:10, “Sad, but always happy. “
Isn’t that what the world expects of us?Imagine sitting at the table, in your favorite restaurant, with people you love very much and don’t believe in, you’ve already shared the gospel and they haven’t responded, God gives grace and this time you proclaim the gospel to them. God gives the grace of tears. And you say:
I really want you to believe and follow Jesus with me, I want you to have eternal life. I want us to be together forever with Christ, I want you to share the joy of knowing that your sins are forgiven and that Jesus is your friend, and I can barely bear the thought of losing you, it seems like a great burden in my chest.
Isn’t that what the world expects of us?Not only an invitation to joy, not only a painful expression of concern, but pain and joy come together in such a way that they have never seen anything like it. They were never loved like that. They have never seen an indomitable joy in Jesus amid the sadness, and by the grace of God, he can savor the salt of the earth and look like the light of the world, so I say one last time:
What does the church world need? It is our indomitable joy in Jesus in the midst of suffering and sadness.
This was Paul’s recommendation for his ministry. Is this our recommendation of Christ, isn’t it by chance that Paul finished the most important chapter of the Bible?Romans 8?with words intended to support their joy and joy in the face of suffering and loss:
So what do we say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?He who did not even forgive his own Son, but abandoned him for all of us, how can he not give us everything too?Who will accuse God’s eldes? It’s God who justifies them. Who are you condemning? For it is Christ who died, or rather rose from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, and who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ?Tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or hunger, or nudity, or danger, or sword?As it is written: For you we are condemned to death all day; We’re famous as sheep for the slaughterhouse. But in all these things, we are more than winners, for those who loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor present, nor future, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. our Lord (Romans 8:31-39).
So, Christian, let the world show your indomitable joy in suffering and sadness.