“We do not want you to be ignorant, brethren”

II Corinthians 1:8-14

Dan Alexander

Wednesday, September 11th, 2024

Faith and Victory Church

Our verse this evening comes from II Corinthians 1:8-14. As Paul opens his second letter to the church in Corinth, he said that God comforts us in our affliction so we can comfort others going through troubles. He writes “comfort” or “consolation” 10 times in the 5 verses leading up to this passage. Opening the letter with all the talk of God’s comfort, and us comforting others, makes me wonder “uh, Paul…why the set up?” 

It’s like when the nurse tells you, “You are going to feel a little pinch”. That means they are about to stick you with a big needle.

Well, Paul writes to them about comfort because of what he is writing to them next.

II Corinthians 1:8-14

 “8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired of even life. 9 Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, 10 who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, 11 you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many. 12 For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you. 13 For we are not writing any other things to you than what you read or understand. Now I trust you will understand, even to the end 14 (as also you have understood us in part), that we are your boast as you also are ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus.”

Here is where the other shoe drops. He wants us to know about the trouble they had in Asia, which was so severe that it made him wish for death, but he wants us first to know that God is a comforter. 

Now Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthian church to help them do church right. How to do the Chrisian life right. We want to be a church that does it right, and people who live the Christian life right, so there is a lot we can learn from this letter too.

Paul writes in verse 8 that he wants them to know about their trouble and that it was so severe that it was beyond their strength, and they wanted to die.

• Paul is one of the toughest men who ever lived, and he went through very hard times:

• II Corinthians 11:24-28 says, “24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness – 28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.”

• He mentions being stoned, that is from Acts 14:19-20, “19 Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. 20 However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.”
  • He was stoned by an angry mob, and drug out of the city, and left for dead. He got up and went right back into the city. That is hard core.

• But verses 8 and 9 make it clear that they were “burdened beyond measure and above strength”, and wanted to die.
  • Side note:
  • One of my pet peeves is when people “quote” the Bible but what they say isn’t in the book. It looks nice in script font on a wood sign, but not really good for anything else.
  • How many of you have heard that God will not give you more than you can handle? Lie.
  • The verse they refer to is in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians 10:13 he writes “God will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so you can endure it.”
  • You do not even endure it on your own, but because God gives you a way out.

• Paul makes it clear that these troubles were more than he could bear that he wanted to die. He said he had a “death sentence”.

The first thing we need to learn is that there will be trouble.

• That is probably not the encouragement you were looking for this evening but, “I do not want you to be ignorant brethren”… and “sisteren”. 
  • (DON’T DO SLIDES FOR THESE VERSES HERE, I WILL WANT THE WHOLE VERSE DISPLAYED LATER.)
  • In John 16:33 Jesus says “In the world you will have tribulation”
  • James 1:2 mentions we “will fall into various trials”
  • Psalm 119:75 says “you have afflicted me”
  • Psalm 139:11-12 says “Surely the darkness shall fall on me”
  • In Matthew 5:4 Jesus says there will be “those who mourn”.

• As a firefighter I have seen lots of troubles. In fact, when people are going through troubles beyond what they can bear, they call us and invite us to the party.

• Some of the problems are very serious and might test every one of us
  • I once responded to a 9-year old with a staple in her finger…
  • We had one lady that called us frequently. This time she called because she slid off the couch and could not get up. We do that of course. But this time when we got to the door, it was locked. We told her through the door that it was locked. We heard quick little footsteps to the door, click, unlocked. When we came in, she was on the floor by her couch. We asked, “is there anyone else here” she said “no, just me”. We diagnosed her with an acute case of loneliness.
• For some it doesn’t take much to be an “emergency”, but I have also seen people seriously go through times they could not bear.
  • Years ago, in the early morning hours of July 4th…The story of Chloe Faith birth, and death six weeks later, Holly and I attended her funeral. She would have been 15 years old this summer.
  • Responding to a high-speed head-on collision on Maple Valley Highway…The story of the girl held in the arms of a stranger as we pulled her pregnant mom from the wreckage, mom and baby died in the back of the medic unit.  I attended the funeral. 
  • I know people in this room have felt this way and gone through the fire.

Paul continues in verses 9 and 10 he tells us that feeling of a literal death sentence taught them not to trust in themselves, but in the God who raises the dead, and delivered them from death. And God will still deliver US.

• Thank you, Lord! God raises from the dead; He can certainly deliver us from our trials and tribulations.

The second thing we learn is that we cannot rely on our own strength to get through troubles, but we must rely on God for our deliverance.

• This is where the hope comes in. Without God there is no hope, but with Him we know that we will be delivered.

• Let’s look back on those verses about troubles: (THIS TIME SHOW THE WHOLE VERSE ON THE SCREEN)
  • In John 16:33 Jesus says “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
  • James 1:2 actually reads, ”My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials”
  • Psalm 119:75-76 says “I know, O Lord, that your judgments are right, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me. Yet, I pray, Your merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to Your word to Your servant”
  • Psalm 139:11-12 says “If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall fall on me’, even the night shall be light about me; Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day, the darkness and light are both alike to You”
  • In Matthew 5:4 Jesus says there will be “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted”.

• Holly and I attended baby Chloe’s funeral that August of 2009, and we saw a Christian mom who was surrounded by Christian friends and family. The time they had with baby Chloe was celebrated. Christ comforted her. She is now married and has two kids with her new husband. God delivered her from that tragedy.

• At the funeral that resulted from that head-on collision, I saw that same little girl, but not in the arms of a stranger this time, in the arms of a large and loving supporting family. She was going to be ok, by the grace of God.

• We really should not be surprised that we will have troubles in this world.
  • Look at the apostles. They were the closest to Jesus and spread the Gospel with boldness. They were persecuted, opposed, jailed, and all but one were murdered.
  • Sign me up!
  • Despite the troubles, the Lord blessed them beyond measure with the forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life at the top of the list.
  • God does that for us too!

In verse 11 Paul gives the Corinthian church some credit as he says “you also helping together in prayer for us”. Because of their prayer they can all give thanks that God rescued Paul from death and gave him comfort. The church praying played a role.

The third thing we learn is that we must pray for each other.

• When we pray for each other, we can rejoice when God delivers others. Just as the church in Corinth prayed and gave thanks for Paul’s deliverance by God.

• Ephesians 6:18 “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints”
• James 5:16 “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
• Matthew 5:44 Jesus says, “But I say to you, love your enemy, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you”
  • Jesus says to pray for other brothers and sisters in Christ, but to even pray for those who persecute you.
• Paul writes in 1 Timothy 2:1 “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men”

Closing out this section of scripture Paul says that the only boasting he can do is that he has clean consciences and has operated in the world in “simplicity and godly sincerity”. He says that this is nothing more than they were written before and in the end, they can be proud of each other in the Lord.

• Through this section of Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth we can learn..
  • That we will go through troubles that go beyond our strength
  • That our response is to rely on God to deliver us
  • And that we should pray for others in their troubles.

The final lesson to learn is that as we go through all this stuff, we operate in the world in simplicity and sincerity.

There is another who knew all about troubles and trials. He was mocked, threatened, beaten, betrayed by his closest friends, and killed like a common criminal. He lived a sinless life but paid the price for our sins. His name is Jesus.

Jesus knew what he had in front of him and the night before he was crucified, he prayed. Luke 22:42 records Jesus’ prayer “Father, if it is your will, take this cup away from me; nevertheless, not my will, but Yours, be done.” And in verse 44 it says, “And being in agony, He (Jesus) prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” 

He was in such agony knowing what needed to be done that he sweat blood, still he submitted to the Father.

I gave credit earlier firefighters who risk their lives to save others, but firefighters have a rule when it comes to the risk we will take. Risk a lot to save life, risk some to same property, risk nothing to save that which is already lost. If we pull up to a house and there is fire blowing out of every opening, we do not charge into certain death, because everyone in that house is already lost.

Here is where only Jesus can rescue. In our sin we are in that house on fire and we are lost. We are sinners and deserve to be there. There is only one who can rescue us and to do it, He faced certain death. We are in the fire because of our sin, and his death saves us because he takes the punishment we deserve for our sin. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Only with Jesus, that is not the end. He rose from the dead to conquer death. 

Everyone bow your heads and close your eyes

Where are you tonight? Are you in that burning house? or are you not even sure?

Well tonight you have a choice tonight, you can accept the salvation Christ has for you and be saved, or you can stay in that burning house. All you need to do is recognize you are a sinner who needs a savior and as Romans 10:9 says “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

If anyone wants to do that tonight for the first time, raise your hand right now and accept Him in your heart. Now if I can ask you to be bold, no weird stuff here, but if you come forward, someone will be here to pray with you.