2 CORINTHIANS- Chapter 6
2 CORINTHIANS – Chapter 6
Sunday Evening Service, July 14, 2013, the Year of Our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
6:1-2: “We then workers together with Him, beseech you also that you receive not the grace of God in vain. (For He says, I have heard you in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I helped you; behold, now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation.)”
Grace = joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness, grace of speech, good will, loving-kindness, favor, benefits ---class of a Godly person.
Paul is God’s fellow-worker with the Christians in Corinth. God’s grace appears to be referring not only to the day of salvation, but also to the gift of reconciliation. The Corinthians will receive God’s grace in vain if they do not allow it to operate in their lives. It is precious to receive grace extended to us from others. However, as Christians whether we are right or wrong, it can be harder to extend that same grace to others.
Paul is preaching from Isaiah 49:8: “Thus says the Lord, 'In an acceptable time have I heard you, and in a day of salvation have I helped you; and I will preserve you, and give you for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages.’”
Paul states this promised age of salvation has now arrived and it is for Christians to not miss this day. We are to live in accord with its principles. Now is the time of God’s favor. Today we are living in the age of grace, when salvation and reconciliation through Grace is a present reality.
6: 3-10: “Giving no offence in any thing that the ministry be not blamed; but in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses; in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings, in fastings; by pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned; by the world of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and the left; by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothings, and yet possessing all things.”
The theme in 2 Corinthians is the apostolic ministry which was first
introduced in 2:14 and is now briefly
recapitulated.
This is an opportunity for me to honor Bishop Wilbert Scott. Many years ago, the Lord gave me a dream about Bro. Scott. In the dream, the Lord told me that Wilbert Scott was a left handed warrior and a right handed warrior.
In verse 7, the Word of God describes the weapons of a left handed warrior and a right handed warrior. “By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left.” Weapons in the right hand are offensive weapons and in the left are defensive.
Isa. 59:17: “He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation upon His shield…”
For those ministries who aspire to be apostles, these verses describe the journey and the cost.
Paul’s hardships are arranged in three groups of three. His attitude through it all is endurance.
Group 1: Troubles – pressure of a physical and mental kind
Hardships – inescapable difficulties, necessities
Distresses - frustrating situations or general trials imposed on him by
circumstances of his opponents
Group 2: Beatings, imprisonments, riots – particular sufferings inflicted on him by
Men
Group 3: Hard work, sleepless nights, hunger- hardships he imposed on Himself for
the sake of the gospel.
Then he covers his God-given qualities of character, the first of which is perhaps endurance. Number 2 would be understanding –spiritual wisdom is a gift from God.
Truthful speech and the power of God are supernatural impartations by the Holy Spirit. The weapons of righteousness mean that he uses only upright methods of self-defense and attack on his critics.
“Regarded as unknown” – if we are to be used by God in His great power, there is a time when we will all become of no reputation. That is just part of the journey. It is enough that Heaven and Hell know our name.
Beaten and sorrowful, full of pains, grief, etc. bear a striking resemblance to the experiences of the Servant of Isa. 53 which speaks of Jesus Christ.
6:11-13: “O you Corinthians, our mouth is open to you our heart is enlarged. You are not restrained in your own emotions. Now for an exchange in the same, (I speak as to my children; I pray you also be enlarged.)”
The work of love is to enlarge all of us.
Ps. 119:32: “I will run the way of Your commandments, when You shall enlarge my heart.”
Paul is now appealing to the Corinthians as children that old hostilities be broken down and there should be a fair exchange of love, forgiveness and God’s grace.
6: 14-17: “Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion has light with darkness? What harmony has Christ with Belial? Or what part has he that believes with an infidel? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God; as God has said, ‘I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Come out from among them, and be separate, says the Lord, touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
Deut. 22:10: “Do not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together.”
I do not believe this scripture means that we are to disassociate ourselves from all pagans. However, it has been my experience; the pagans disassociate themselves with me. I believe Paul is speaking to the Corinthians about their past ties that held them in sin. A Christian husband or wife is not to leave an unbelieving spouse unless the unbeliever leaves. If the unbeliever wishes to depart, then let him depart.
If a Christian has had problems with lust, drugs, alcohol, etc., then he should separate himself from those who still engage in those activities or they will pull him/her back into their sin.
Belial is another name for Satan. The sons of Belial in Deut. 13:13 are worthless fellows. Belial is a proper name meaning “worthless one”.
Each individual Christian is the temple of God. Ez. 37:27, “My dwelling place will be with them”. The “them” would refer to the corporate body of believers as we assemble to gather unto Jesus. The emphasis is on the permanence of God’s dwelling in and among his people under the New Covenant.
Paul is again preaching from the Old Testament in the closing verses of this chapter, 16b-17 ( Isa. 43: 6; 16-19; Exod 12:35; Ezr. 1:4; Ezek. 20:34; 2 Sam. 7;14)
Unclean spirits: Luke 4: 33-34: “In the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, saying, let us along; what we to do with You, You Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know You who You are; the Holy One of God. Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold your peace, and come out of him. When the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him and did not hurt him.”
- Homosexual
- Pornography
- Sexual perversion
- Alcohol, drugs, tobacco
Demons are evil. They are intelligent and cunning. They can be powerful. They are disembodied spirits, not human. They can possess men and be cast out. They cause dumbness, deafness, blindness, grievous vexation, lunacy and mania, suicide, convulsions, lusts, counterfeit worship, error, sicknesses and diseases, torments, deceptions, lying, enchantments and witchcraft, heresies, wickedness, fear, love of world, bondage, discord, violence, betrayal, oppression, persecution, jealousy, false prophecy, and every other evil they possibly can to work against men and God.
The promise of God to be our Father and we will be His sons and daughters is to assume all responsibility of parental concern and give Himself to the eternal care of His family. Earthly parents may lack the power and the means to supply all things for their families, but this is not true of God who owns all and rules all.
This promise is conditional on:
Be not unequally yoke with unbelievers.
Come out from among them.
Touch not the unclean thing.
Cleanse self of all filthiness of the flesh and spirit.
Perfect holiness in the fear of God.
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries, Inc.
Scripture from K.J.V.