Oh, good morning again. If you would please turn with me to our passage today in 2 Corinthians. Chapter 13, we will be looking at this, the beginning verses of this last chapter in our study, 2 Corinthians. 2 Corinthians chapter 13 verses 1 through 4. And we find Paul in the closing of this letter offering his closing thoughts before he comes to visit the Corinthians for a third time. And what he's been doing in these last chapters, of course, is defending his apostleship over and against the false apostles who were causing disorder and trouble at Corinth. And we have, as I've said before, we have these different groups at Corinth. It is not as though everyone is against Paul, but that there are some who are against Paul at Corinth, some who it seems are on the fence and others who do not fit that description but these strong words are for those who have sinned and for those who have stirred up discord among the brethren at Corinth and so we read in verses one through four these words this is the third time I am coming to you Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. I warned those who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now, while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again, I will not spare them. Since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me, He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you, we will live with him by the power of God. Let's pray. Father God, we pray for your blessing on the preaching of the word this morning. always with the understanding that these are not mere words. These are not even words of simply a brilliant man, but these are, in fact, the words of the sovereign king over the universe, the eternal God. These are your words spoken through your servant, the Apostle Paul. And as such, they are sufficient to guide us and to direct us to reprove and correct, and to bless us as your people, that we might be fit and complete for every good work. Pray for your blessing over this time that we have together this morning, and over the proclamation of your word. It's in Jesus' name we pray, amen. So in this passage, Paul uses strong language with the Corinthians. We've seen throughout their relationship, Paul has demonstrated love and grace and patience with them time and again. But you always see these snippets of boldness and strong language. And why does he use such strong language here? And the short answer is there's disorder in Corinth, and disorder cannot be tolerated in Christ's church because it threatens the very call and purpose of the church to walk in love and unity in order to demonstrate and bear witness to the Lord Jesus Christ's life-saving gospel. That is why the books of 1 and 2 Corinthians are great examples of the patience, grace, and love that we should have for others. If someone is immature in the faith, we should be patient. We should be gracious. We should not come down heavy or hard as our first response. It is a great example of that, but so often, as I pointed out before, First and second Corinthians, the church at Corinth gets pointed to as, see, God's comfortable with sin just being rampant in the church. The Corinthians were screwed up. We're screwed up too. Let's just proceed forward like nothing happened because that's just human nature. But The corresponding reality to that, of course, and we see it most clearly here in this last chapter, is that, no, sin is taken very seriously, and when warnings are not heeded, order must be brought, because the Lord Jesus Christ established His church to be an orderly institution. And so, the first point, that we see here in verses 1 through 2 is that order in Christ's church is of utmost importance. Order is not just an optional thing. It's not a secondary thing. A church is not an ordered church if it's just a group of Christians meeting in a room. That's not an ordered church. It's not even an ordered church if they open up the Word or proclaim the Word. There is order and there is structure laid out for us in Scripture. We see a little bit of that here in verses 1 through 2, which says, This is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. I warn those who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again, I will not spare them. Paul has been patient in his dealings with those who have been divisive at Corinth, giving them the chance to respond to the grace he has shown them by repenting of their sin and growing into maturity. We looked at that several weeks ago. At this point, what we see here, now Paul approaching now his third visit, the Corinthians have had enough warning. The slander, the quarreling, the insubordination of the Corinthians, it's all run its course and it can no longer be tolerated. At this point, Paul must act. But we have to again step back before we address this acting of Paul and what that looks like and ask, why did Paul tolerate the immature at Corinth at all to begin with? Why did he tolerate their immaturity? Why did he show such patience and grace from the start? Because in his love for the Lord Jesus Christ and in his love for Christ's church, Paul wanted to give the opportunity for repentance. Restoration is the goal. It's always the goal when possible. As Paul himself says, he would rather use his authority in Christ for building up and not for tearing down. As followers of Jesus Christ, that should be our disposition as well. That's our first reaction. We want to build up and not to tear down. Our very first reaction when we encounter immaturity is to help and to come alongside. So as Paul told the Galatians in chapter 6, verse 1 through 2 of that letter, brothers, If anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. So we are burden bearers. That is our natural disposition as those created in, those who are a new creation, In Christ, we are burden bearers looking to restore in a spirit of gentleness. In dealing with sin, we do not begin with a heavy hand of discipline, but a heartfelt plea that the one in sin turn from his or her sin. So that is the necessary context to understanding Paul's harsh words. The priority is to build up. The priority is not to tear down. So we have to ask ourselves then the natural second question, which is why then should Paul's toleration end? Why should his tolerance end? Why not continue being patient forever? Why does he now threaten to come down on the factious individuals at Corinth? And that's simply because the fact does not change that the Corinthians must repent. The call is still the same, they must repent. And if they will not respond to God's gracious warnings by turning from their sin, which harms the church and gospel witness, it leaves Paul no choice. because sin must be dealt with in their midst. Paul's message in this last chapter is plain. The Corinthians must deal with their sin before Paul's third visit or they will be brought to an account. Now, in looking at and understanding from this passage, order in Christ's church as being of the utmost importance, We see that the Corinthians must be brought to an account because they have made a profession of faith in Christ. Why bring them to an account? Because they made a profession. They say they are something, so they should live like that. They've made a profession of faith in Christ, and if their actions are consistently contrary to that profession, well, it shows that their faith is not genuine. that they do not belong to Christ's body and, in fact, should be put out of Christ's body, or at least the visible church, because the Lord Jesus Christ takes the purity of his bride seriously, and so do the members of his body. If Paul tolerates the Corinthians insubordination forever, it makes a mockery of Christ. It makes a mockery of his church. which the Lord established as an orderly institution for the honor and proclamation of his great name. The same reason why Paul has been patient with the Corinthians is in fact the very same reason why his patience must come to an end. It's all honor for Christ and for his body. So, in an attempt to head off any shenanigans which cause division and the endless drone of he said, she said, and the subjective, well, I felt this way when he said and did this and that, Paul gives them opportunity to bring up any charges they might have. Bring up your complaint. Go ahead, when I come on my third visit, bring it up, but only in acceptable terms. And those acceptable terms are found laid out in scripture. That's why in verse one he makes reference to the law, citing Deuteronomy 19.15. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. Otherwise, Paul's saying here, I don't wanna hear about it. Why would he speak this way? Well, if a complaint is to be entertained as legitimate, then it must be put forward on clear biblical terms, right? What other terms are there that are laid out we would want to follow? Otherwise, it won't be entertained because the result is an endless back and forth of subjectivity. And the subtext for us as the people of God should be evident. It's if you're not offended by something within the church on biblical grounds, then why are you offended at all? Corinthians, go ahead, bring up your complaint, but it must be on biblical grounds. If it's not, why do you have the complaint to begin with? And if you are offended on biblical grounds, for the Corinthians, for us, then you must deal with it in a biblical way. There is no other choice for the follower of Jesus Christ. So it's not in division, it's not in whispering to others, it's not in slander, it's not in bitterness, but it's laying the case out and confronting a person or persons with the truth in love. And we should see in this how it brings order to Christ's body. You deal with sin or you move on. There's no stewing in bitterness. There's no slandering the name of others or anything like that. Mold does not overtake a home in a day. We know this, but mold slowly grows where it is not seen, in the shadows. And then the damage is too late. Paul is stopping further growth of the disorder that kills churches. That is why he says, this is the third time I am coming to you. He's reminding them, I'm coming again. It's not going to be exactly the same as past visits. This time, there needs to be order because this has gone on for far too long. Paul wants to avoid further distraction and division. And he means business now. He is done with the very things that are doing such great harm to the church. Enough is enough. So he says in verse two, I warned those who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again, I will not spare them. Paul is ready to spare no one on this visit, and it's not because Paul is an abusive leader or some authoritarian megalomaniac. It's because among the Corinthians is a prideful, divisive bunch, and they have not responded to God's gracious warnings. Now the time is over for toleration. Now is the time for the discipline Paul has graciously warned them about. Warnings they have not heeded up to this point. This is when As a parent, you know this is when the kids have not been listening, dad or mom has been abundantly gracious and patient, far more than he or she ever needed to be, right? And finally, after so much, dad puts his foot down and he says, that's it, that's it, enough already. This stops now or face the consequences. We've all been there. That is exactly what is going on here. in Corinth at this point in Paul's letter to the Corinthians. So Paul must bring order, and the Corinthians must respect Paul as an authority over them, as part of God's order, the very thing they are questioning. And as we've noted again and again in this letter, when the Corinthians disregard Paul, it is not Paul, ultimately, they disregard. but they disregard the Lord Jesus Christ because he called Paul and he established the structure of his own church. It's just like the passage we read from number 16. Korah and his company had a somewhat legitimate complaint, you could say. They said, aren't we all holy? I mean, we're a holy nation, right? So why is Moses and Aaron, why are they leaders over us? But the problem is they were insincere. They weren't respecting God's order. They were just prideful and selfish. But the fact is, to disregard God's order is to disregard God. It's that simple. It is to exalt oneself over God because it says, my way is better than God's. The Corinthians' response to Paul reflects the Corinthians' attitude to Jesus Christ and his gospel. They go hand in hand. You will know them by their fruit. It is one thing to speak something, it's quite another to do it. Show me how someone treats the God-ordained order of their local church, devoting themselves to the body and submitting to their elders. and I will show you whether or not they submit to the Lord Jesus Christ as head, or like some at Corinth, to themselves. We are a I-do-things-my-way culture, but in the church of Jesus Christ, we are to be a I-do-things-His-way body. There are many who pay lip service and talk a big game. like the boasters at Corinth. But wisdom is justified by her deeds, as our Lord says in Matthew 11, and in time, hypocrisy is made evident for all to see, as Paul says in 1 Timothy 5. Paul knows this, and as God's instrument, he is ready to name the disobedience and deal with it for what it is once and for all. And so the first point, order in Christ's church is of utmost importance. We see that readily enough. And the second point is those who cause disorder will see God's power. I'll explain what I mean by that in a moment. Those who cause disorder will see God's power. Let's read verses 3 through 4. So Paul is dealing with this situation where he's being questioned, not taken seriously by the Corinthians. They're questioning his apostleship. They're questioning the order that the Lord Jesus Christ has established. And let me just read verse two, we'll back up and we'll focus on verses three through four. Again, Paul said, I warned those who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again, I will not spare them. Since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me, he is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you, we will live with him by the power of God." This is not a verse for a Hallmark card. Paul's not saying, God, Jesus is powerful. Isn't that great? He's saying, no, you're seeking power. You're seeking proof that Christ is working in me, but you're seeking it on the wrong terms and with the wrong judgment. You'll see Christ's power. He's using this in an ironic way. because some at Corinth had caused quite a stir because they sought evidence of the power of God at work in Paul." Where's the power? I don't hear the power. He doesn't match up with my standard of what a man of power should look like. But they judged Paul from their own culturally-conditioned, fallible judgments. They had Greco-Roman assumptions of prestige and power and what that looked like, and by these they made an ill judgment of Paul. Today we have secular psychology and business models and megachurches by which we assess and judge Christ's church. What these both have in common is they are the products of unregenerate men who think in terms of the flesh and not the spirit. Not great guides for the follower of Christ. In a healthy Christian community, those who unjustly cause disorder and dissension, like we see here at Corinth, will see a demonstration of God's power. because a faithful minister such as Paul will not tolerate disorder forever. Indeed, he cannot if he takes God's words seriously at all, because God has a righteous standard for His church. We know from 1 Corinthians that flash and bravado And all demonstration of power was important to many at Corinth, who, much like Simon the magician, misunderstood the purpose of the Holy Spirit. So in these verses, in an ironic way, Paul is saying, do you want power? If you want power, I will show you power. Corinthians have been foolish. They have not understood Paul's gentleness and kindness for what it is. The issue Paul has been addressing in this letter is the genuineness of his apostleship and his rightful authority as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Some in Corinth think Paul has been too bold at times, saying his letters are harsh. But Paul's consistent approach with them has been gentle and patient. Those who walk by the Spirit see that. And that is what Paul is hoping. He is hoping the Corinthians will respond the right way. Here, Paul is saying, if you want to persist in your prideful rebellion, I am prepared to show you Christ's power in rebuke. Paul's message has been clear and consistent. Like Christ, just like the Lord Jesus Christ, following his example, we were meek among you in humility to show forth Christ's sacrificial love. But if you stubbornly refuse to listen, To Christ's servant, like Christ, in power, we will show you his strength in demonstration of what happens to those who reject his kindness. So on this passage, Matthew Henry writes, though it is God's gracious method to bear long with sinners, yet he will not always bear. At length he will come, and will not spare those who remain obstinate and impenitent. Christ at his crucifixion appeared as only a weak and helpless man, but his resurrection and life showed his divine power." End quote. So Paul says, he is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you, we will live with him by the power of God. The Corinthians are not wise in testing Paul's patience. If they do not heed this final warning, God will bring to pass what he threatened through Paul in 1 Corinthians 4, where Paul said, Some are arrogant as though I were not coming to you. You just see this repeated theme in Corinth. They just don't take Paul seriously. They don't see that his grace and his patience is actually for their good. They see it as weakness. Or when he's bold, they see his boldness as inconsistent with his grace. They just don't get it. Some are arrogant as though I were not coming to you, but I will come to you soon. if the Lord wills, and I will find out the talk of these arrogant people, or I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people, but their power. For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk, but in power. What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod or with love and a spirit of gentleness? And we would hope that the response is with love and a spirit of gentleness. But those who cause disorder in the church, since order is so prized and of utmost importance, it must be addressed and must be dealt with. So Paul cannot come without bearing the rod if there is no repentance. And how appropriate are these words which Paul spoke back in 1 Corinthians for the present situation at Corinth? If only the guilty party at Corinth would have heeded his words sooner, Paul would not have needed to threaten discipline and much heartache could have been avoided. There is so much wisdom in understanding Paul's relationship with the Corinthians and balancing grace and discipline. And so the third and final point, which is more derived from this passage as a whole, is putting the Lord to the test is not wise. That's what we see among the Corinthians. Putting the Lord to the test is not wise. The only question now is what route Do the Corinthians take? How will they receive these words which are being read to them by Paul's envoys carrying this letter? How will they receive this rebuke? Will they be wise and recognize the warning signs of God's grace? Or will they play the fool and like the fool who finds himself in a hole, dig deeper and deeper? Paul threatens the Corinthians with the rod of discipline should they continue to persist in causing division and undermining his authority. And so we find appropriate words in Proverbs 10, 13, which say, on the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found. But a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense. Fools learn very slowly if they learn at all. When one sows folly, one reaps the fruit of folly. Paul has tried to avoid this. As we've seen, even in his harsh letter and even in his boldness, what was he doing all along? He was acting in their best interest. He was exercising grace. They have tested God's patience, a violation of God's law. As Deuteronomy 6.16 says, you shall not put the Lord your God to the test as you tested Him at Massah. How did Summit Corinth put God to the test? They put His patience to the test by questioning His order, by holding Paul under undue scrutiny. Your apostleship isn't genuine. It's not real. Why should we trust you? But this scrutiny that they held Paul under was based on a standard that was more cultural than it was biblical. Do we see this? Do we see that the Corinthians would have done well to heed the lesson from the rebellion that Korah led in Numbers 16, what we just read earlier? The Corinthians would have been familiar with this. Paul would have gone through the law with them. Paul had spent years with the Corinthians, many months, we know from Acts 18. Paul quotes the Old Testament as though they're familiar with it. The early church was very familiar with their own scriptures. Korah challenged Moses, right? What right do you have to be leader over us? And the Lord opened up the ground, which swallowed Korah and his company. This is just a perennial theme throughout the history of man. Jude mentions Korah's rebellion, by the way. And there he describes false teachers and wolves in sheep's clothing as those who despise authority, saying, yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. Does that sound familiar to you in our own day? I mean, I'm not sure there really is a culture more so than 21st century Western culture that hates and despises authority. As someone who studies history and loves history, I really don't know if there is. I think we have got to be the society that hates authority structures more than any society I have ever come across. Be curious if you have a different opinion. But as it was in Moses' day, in Jude's day, and in Paul's day, so it is in ours. We put the Lord to the test by requiring what God does not require and rejecting what God has so clearly prescribed. Those at Corinth did not merely reject Paul as a person and some authority he dreamed up for himself. They rejected the one who sent Paul. And if they persist in rejecting Paul, they will show their allegiance was never to Christ. See, that's why this is so serious. That's why Paul's words carry so much weight for the Corinthians and for us today. It is a gospel issue. to reject God's command at any one point, whether we judge for ourselves, whether we think it's little or light or silly or not, to reject any of God's commands or to reject his structure at all, it is a gospel issue because if you persist in that, it's an indicator Jesus Christ isn't really your Lord. That is why Paul speaks the way he does. Paul's warning to the Corinthians is a strong warning for us today. It's hard to overestimate or overstate this. We really are the fool of Proverbs in our culture, and we prize walking in our own way, doing as we please, doing as we want. This is how I do things. And the Word of the Lord says, well, this is how I do things. This is how I tell you to do things. And we say, no, this is how I do things. It was true in Corinth, and it's especially true today. We live in a day when each goes his own way. So did Adam and Eve in the garden, and so did the serpent who deceived them. The follower of Jesus Christ has no right to do things in his or her own way outside of the order God has laid down. Do you remember in closing, do you remember in 1 Samuel 15, and the Lord commands Saul to destroy the Amalekites. And he commands Saul not only to destroy the Amalekites, but destroy all their possessions, destroy all their livestock, get rid of it all, nothing that they own, possess, nothing of them should remain, right? Destroy it all. What does Saul do? Saul destroys all the Amalekites and much of their livestock, but he keeps some of that livestock. And what does he do with that livestock? He follows the law of the Lord and the burnt offerings and the Thanksgiving, and he gives Thanksgiving and praise to God, and he gives him these offerings. According to the word of the Lord, right? According to what the law said, he gives God an offering as a form of worship. What does the Lord say through Samuel? Lord rebukes Saul. He says, I want obedience. Isn't obedience more to me than your sacrifices and your burnt offerings? We must heed Paul's warning to the Corinthians as a reminder for ourselves that we are to submit heart, soul, and might to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and his revealed will for his people in the pages of Scripture, not to turn our own way. but to turn our hearts towards Christ, to listen, to submit, and to say, here I am, Lord, ready to do your will as you see fit, as you have laid out in the pages of scripture. Let's pray. Father God, every one of us is prone to wander in our hearts. We wrestle with the flesh. We wrestle with outside influences. We find ourselves much like the disobedient and divisive at Corinth. Not wanting to follow your ways, but wanting to follow our own ways. Father God, we repent of our sin. And we ask You, Lord, to conform us to the ordered and right way that You have laid out in Your Word, to conform us to the image of Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us, among us, May we glorify you, Lord, according to what you have written and not according to what we have fancied. We can dress up what we do in Bible-y language, and we can do all sorts of Bible-y things, but what you require is not Bible-y, but obedience to do as you have commanded in your words. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.