Stand Strong in the Word
Stand Strong in the Word is a weekly bible study that teaches through the Bible verse by verse in chronological order. For more information, visit www.standstrongministries.org.
Stand Strong in the Word
#295 “Scars of a Servant of Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:16-27)
Today, we will examine what Paul endured for Christ, why it mattered, and what it means for us. What are we willing to surrender for Christ?
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Paul didn't lead with comfort. He led with sacrifice in his ministry. In 2 Corinthians, he lays out the beatings, the shipwrecks, the sleepless nights, all for the sake of the gospel. Today we will look at what he endured, why it mattered and what it means for us. What are we willing to surrender for Christ? Turn to 2 Corinthians, chapter 11, and let's stand strong in the word of God together. Well, hey there, my friends, welcome to Stand Strong in the Word podcast. Jason Heman is with you, as always. Blessed to be with you, guys, as we continue our study here in the book of 2nd Corinthians.
Speaker 1:Now, where we left off, we were talking about false apostles and how they disguise themselves through the cunningness and deception of the enemy and one of the things that Paul was addressing up to this point, we're going to be picking up where we left off, in verse 16 to the end of the chapter, but we have to understand, before we move further, how Paul was addressing these enemies of his people who were trying to discredit him while using some of his credentials to give them credibility. And Paul, of course, as we know, as a servant of Christ, who actually we're going to be looking at today's podcast in this passage in verses 16 through 33,. He was a servant of Christ. He wasn't seeking to be served, to be someone special, not to say that he didn't wrestle with some of those things as any human being would. But he suffered, and what we're going to be seeing in second Corinthians 12 is even to the point when he was caught up to the third heaven and when he came back into his body. Those are known as near death experiences and we'll be exploring a little bit of that on the next episode. But even then we are told that a thorn in the flesh from a messenger of Satan that God allowed came into his life to humble him. So as we continue this topic of like boasting, not because he was arrogant and prideful and was all about him and he had his selfish ambition, no, he was using this to contrast between what false teachers were saying and how they conducted themselves, and then saying in the paul saying look, but look at me, look at what a true servant of christ is and look at what I've gone through.
Speaker 1:For you guys, he's not again, because so often we in the Christian faith we don't want to boast about things or say you know, yeah, I'm something special because people may get it the wrong way and we have to be careful of that. For sure, all of us do. But there is a time when you're saying, listen, this is not about me, but I'm going to show you. I'm going to compare what you guys are falling for, to reminding you what you should be looking to that God has placed in your life, and in this case it's Paul. He says imitate me, for I imitate Christ. Look at how God has used me. I am a model, I'm an example. He's not being boastful about that, as anybody listening who's a parent or grandparent or a leader in the faith. You want people to model, to pattern. You want to pattern your life in a way that people can follow, and that is the Christian faith. That's part of discipleship. So this is the context. So now we go from how we can know what a false apostle is and their deception. So again, as always, if you miss any previous podcasts, I encourage you guys to check that out wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 1:But now let's look at verse 16 through 33. And I just want you to listen to Paul's heart here, and then we will break it down verse by verse. So here are the scars of a servant of Christ, or as one other commentary puts it, the sufferings of an apostle, I Christ. Or as one other commentary puts it, the sufferings of an apostle. I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do accept me as a fool so that I too may boast a little, what am I saying with this boastful confidence? I say not as a Lord would, but as a fool, since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast, for you gladly bear, with fools being wise yourselves, for you bear it if someone makes slaves of you or devours you or takes advantage of you or puts on errors or strikes you in the face, to my shame. I must say we were too weak for that. But whatever anyone else dares to boast of, I am speaking as a fool. I also dare to boast of that. Now let's pause here and understand. So far what we've read.
Speaker 1:Now Paul, remember, was reluctant, as we've been talking about for the last few episodes, to boast the way in which he is Not cocky but as an apostle, in the position that God has given him, there are certain accomplishments that he has so far done in his missionary work. And so when sometimes, people that you're trying to minister, to just like, if you have a, if you're a teacher and there's another person out there that's saying no, do it this way, and they're not an expert in it, you step in there to help that student by saying, hey, I've studied this, I've done this for a long time and in all the research and everything that we have developed, this is the best way and this is going to actually help you. So if you go down this road with this other person, it could probably do more damage than good, and that's what Paul's doing here, and so he's using this as an opportunity to write to the Corinthians to illustrate, if you will, his conduct, and so he's. It's kind of putting out his resume thus far, how God has used him, and he's going to do this because in the process, he's going to discredit the false teachers who are bragging about their own credentials. And so sometimes I'm giving an example.
Speaker 1:In our ministry here at Stanstrum Ministries, we're a nonprofit, we raise money and we need the givings and the generosity of people in order to do things like this and other things that we do, as many of you guys know, and we're so thankful for it, and so one of the things we have to be careful in and that we have shared with a lot of people. When you have the prosperity ministries who are saying so is seed of this, that is one indicator to say, guys, that's false teaching. They're taking advantage of you, they're wanting something from you. They don't really care how they're going to go about doing it. As long as they can get results, meaning money, they'll do whatever they need to do to convince you to give them the money that they're seeking after.
Speaker 1:And so, in ministry, when you say this is how we conduct ourselves, this is how we go about stewarding what God has given us, that in itself is a way to discredit people who quote unquote are in the ministry yet they're in it for the wrong reasons. So when he says, since many boast according to the flesh again, arrogant people we know them and we can all struggle with this from time to time in our own lives and pray, as we're being sanctified, that it's less of an issue as it once was. But arrogant people boast in themselves, they don't boast in the Lord. This is something Paul mentioned back in chapter 10, verse 17. And so obviously it's legitimate and I want to address this once again, especially if you missed or forgot. You know from. You know where we've talked about since chapter 10.
Speaker 1:Why is Paul doing this then? Well, if you look at Corinth, it was very customary for people to discuss their accomplishments. So Paul's going to use this platform, but he's not going to brag about himself. Instead, he's going to be focusing on his weaknesses, his sufferings for Christ. And not only that, but we're going to see a bit of sarcasm, which was, as we know, a rhetorical device that he would use oftentimes to make a point to the Corinthians.
Speaker 1:Now the Reformation Study Bible says, quote this part of the letter is known as the fool's speech. In it, paul describes his ministry in terms that could not possibly be equaled by the false apostles. Yet he does not boast about his own knowledge or speaking skills or other abilities, but about how much he has suffered for the sake of Christ. Here Paul's boasting is ironic. He boasts of things normally considered shameful signs of weakness and defeats. Thus, his boasts are imitation or parody of the boasting of his opponents, who praise themselves to the Corinthians in extravagant speeches.
Speaker 1:The topics in this section progress to a climax where Paul deals with what may have been uppermost in the minds of his critics unusual religious experiences. End quote. So then, what Paul does here in verses 20 through 21 is he outlines five acts of arrogance that were exhibited by those who oppose his ministry. Notice. He says for you, bear it if someone makes slaves of you or devours you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or strikes you in the face. And then he counters that by saying we would never dare to do any of that.
Speaker 1:As one commentary points out, saying, delivered in a repetitive form and with a driving rhythm, the apostle uses five conditional clauses that detail ways the false teachers have abused the church at Corinth. His main point is that the Corinthians have tolerated such abuse and the posture depicted here is the opposite of Paul's Christocentric posture of leniency. End quote. So here the false teachers, as Paul's pointing out, exploited the Corinthians and took advantage of their ignorance of the gospel while asserting their own knowledge over them, so even pointing out this phrase that they strike you. That goes back to John 18, 22. Remember when Jesus was struck by the officer before the high priest, and when Ananias called for Paul to be struck? In Acts 23, verse 2. And when Ananias called for Paul to be struck in Acts 23, verse 2.
Speaker 1:So there are religious leaders that would even physically strike or abuse people to put them into submission, saying I am better than you, do not speak when I'm speaking, do not attempt to correct me, do not think that your position is equal to mine. That's spiritual abuse, and if anyone listening have gone through a form of spiritual abuse, my heart breaks for you and I pray that you're finding healing in the Lord and not allowing that to interfere in your relationship with our Savior. So again, paul is focusing on these five key things, these conditional clauses, saying this is what the false teachers have done to you guys, and the sad reality is you're allowing them to do this. But notice, we would never dare to do that, even though I'm a legitimate, true apostle of Christ. I am not doing that. In fact, I'm actually suffering on your behalf, but ultimately because my relationship with Christ and what he's called me to do is far more important, far greater than any desire or selfish ambition that he has in the flesh.
Speaker 1:And so now in verse 22, and following notice the questions he asks here, these again, these are rhetorical. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one. I am talking like a madman, with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings and often near death. Now we'll be talking about what. I think this phrase here is going to go into chapter 12. So let's keep that in mind when we jump into the next chapter, where I believe, when he was caught up to the third heaven, that's when he was stoned to death outside of Lystra.
Speaker 1:Now Paul's defense here implies that the false teachers were Jewish, because, he says, are the Hebrews so am I? Are the Israelites so am I? So a lot of the people that were going against Paul? And then, we're told, in his ministry travels, oftentimes the Jews would follow him because they would continue to attack him, to persecute him, to persuade the crowds not to listen to him. But what Paul does in this superiority complex, a lot of these religious leaders had over him, and quite possibly many of these people are also Gentiles outside of them being Hebrews. But we know some Gentiles would go through the process to become Jews.
Speaker 1:But Paul is downplaying and this is the most important thing that we have to look at his qualifications and he still struggles because he said talking about being a madman. And he still struggles because he said talking about being a madman. And he's still struggling about focusing in on some of these things, to acknowledge him and his qualifications to be an apostle. And it was simply the calling of Jesus in his life and nothing more. That was the most important thing to Paul, realizing that there was nothing special in and of himself as to why he was in this position. Remember, he was a murderer, he was a blasphemer, he was persecuting the church and he was probably the most arrogant, prideful individual because he was wealthy and he was probably by far the smartest Pharisee before he came to know Christ as his Lord and Savior. So what Paul does is he refutes the externalism as a qualifier for salvation and sanctification.
Speaker 1:Now, in the day and time that we're living in, this is important for us to focus on before I jump into some passages where Paul, over and over again, points out some of these things theologically, with a historical backing of where he comes from, as we all have our background and our story. But what we have to point out here, and it's so important, is look around in the external, the exterior of what you're in, and oftentimes we see that we placate to, that we focus in on that way more than the unseen realm. Then how am I really honoring and worshiping and serving my Lord and Savior, jesus Christ? So keep that in mind as we study this passage, because oftentimes we can go into that and I wonder, even for myself, because when I get attacked by people who don't share the same background or profession as I do, but they come off as though they're like they know more, it's like don't let those affect you, don't let, don't refute them externally, because then what we're doing is putting more stock or more weight in and quote our accomplishments and our identity through what we believe to be successful and then use that as a measure in our day-to-day life. That's not what paul's doing here. He's not in any way shape or form looking at these false teachers and saying, okay, well, they do it like this, and can I tell you that I do it better than they do?
Speaker 1:No, remember, if you go back to Romans, chapter two, 28 through 29, he says for no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor a circumcision outward and physical, but a Jew is one inwardly and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God. That's what Paul's talking about here when he's asking these questions are they Hebrews, are they Israelites? You know they're using these external things to say this is why you should listen to me. But if you go back to what Paul said in Romans two, we are inwardly circumcised, our hearts changed because we have been redeemed, and our praise doesn't come from man but it comes from God. In first Corinthians, 12, verse 13, he says for in one spirit we were all baptized into one body, jews or Greeks, slaves or free, all were made to drink of one spirit.
Speaker 1:Listen to Philippians, chapter 3, verses 4 through 8. Though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh. Also, if anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more Circumcised on the eighth day of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. As to the law, a Pharisee as to zeal, a persecutor of the church as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted it as loss. For the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord. For his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish in order that I may gain. Christ Isn't that powerful. Christ Isn't that powerful.
Speaker 1:So we take the consistency of Paul's attitude, his conduct and his teaching as a servant of Christ, and then he focuses on his suffering. And, my friends, let me tell you something when you're around somebody who is genuinely suffering for Christ, they've been persecuted for their faith and you haven't again. It's not like they're more superior, they're better than you, it's just. It's a humbling experience. You know, my wife and my children were blessed and honored to be part of a mission trip with our church to a part in the Middle East, and their sole purpose was to minister to missionaries who came to this conference with their children, and it just broke my family came to this conference with her children and it just broke my family. One day, my wife was sharing with me the stories of what these missionaries are going through, and she and I have been in ministry together for almost 30 years, and it just blessed us.
Speaker 1:And that's what Paul wants to give us in this passage, and so I pray as we look at this and we look at our own lives, the key thing for us to pray for is Lord, give us a servant's heart like Paul had. You didn't call me to be Paul, but you've called me to be like you, and through the example of Paul I pray that I can have the faith to endure whatever you put me through and that may bring you glory. So in verse 24, notice he says five times I received at the hands of the Jews the 40 lashes less one. Now, if you go back to 1 Corinthians 4, 9-13, paul gives an example and he generally mentions many of the hardships. And so when you go back to his first letter, to now his second, notice how he's still building off of these times, where he's opening his heart and sharing with the Corinthians what he has endured as an apostle. It says in 1 Corinthians 4, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we, in disrepute To the present hour, we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless. When persecuted, we endure. When slandered, we entreat, when we the refuse of all things. And then, when you look at here, in verses 24 and 27, paul provides more details. He's actually giving them some more insight into his sufferings in his apostolic ministry.
Speaker 1:Now Paul starts off by referring to the lashes that he's received five different times. Now remember the Jewish leaders. They would punish people with the 39 lashes. This is the most severe punishment in Deuteronomy, chapter 25, 1 through 3, for false teaching, for blasphemy and for breaking specific laws. So Paul was being persecuted for things that he didn't do, because he was not teaching false doctrine, he was not blaspheming the name of the Lord and he was not breaking specific laws. Rather, he was showing them how Christ fulfilled the law right. Then he goes into verse 25, three times I was beaten with rods Once. I was stoned three times. I was shipwrecked A night and a day I was adrift at sea.
Speaker 1:So not only did he receive these lashes, could you imagine five different times? Could you imagine the scarring that Paul had because of these wounds? And not only that, but he was beaten with rods three times, even though he was a Roman citizen and legally protected from such punishment. So again, so far the things that Paul says that he has undergone. Again, this is his form of boasting. He's not bragging, but he's humbly recognizing that he's been suffering for the name of Christ. But so far the things that he has endured, he didn't do anything wrong. One of the times Paul was beating with rods was in Acts 16, 22 through 23 for disturbing the peace, which of course he was not. It says the crowd joined in attacking them. So these are encounters. This is the suffering that Paul endured. And not only that, but then he was also stoned. Luke records this incident in Acts 14, 19,.
Speaker 1:When they were in Lystra during his first missionary journey, paul was dragged out of the city and he was stoned to death, it says. But Jews came from Antioch and Incanium. So you remember I mentioned it before these Jews kept following him and trying to build a mob of people to not just try to disrupt and interfere in what Paul was trying to do, but to persuade the crowds, as we're told here, to stone Paul, to kill him, and they supposed him to be dead. And in that time when you would stone people, they would sometimes throw them off a cliff and get a boulder and have it land on them or surround him, throwing each person taking shots, but they would ensure that this person would die, so they dragged him, supposing him to be dead, meaning he's not even worthy as a Jew for us to bury ceremonially his body, which again represented the image of God. They didn't even care because he's a blasphemer. That's how unbiblical, if you will, these Jews were being. And yet, remember, he was being punished because he was a lawbreaker, and yet they're breaking the law. But no, we're following Deuteronomy 25 because he's a false teacher. And that's when I believe, as we're getting into 2 Corinthians 12, and that's when I believe, as we get into 2 Corinthians 12,.
Speaker 1:This is where Paul's caught up, where he has a near-death experience. He leaves his body, his spirit is joined with the Lord, and then God sends him back, and then we're told here that he's shipwrecked Acts 20, verse 2, when he was in Macedonia. And so Luke again records this shipwreck. And he was also shipwrecked in 27, chapter 27, verses 39 through 44. And he was also shipwrecked in 27, chapter 27, verses 39 through 44. In fact, if you're listening to this podcast and you've been listening maybe a few months, few years, but you never studied the book of Acts with us. I encourage you to go back and check that out. We did a whole study in the book of Acts. And so when he was a prisoner he was shipwrecked.
Speaker 1:And the third incident may have occurred sometime between his first missionary journey, sometime in that timeframe. So when he says I was shipwrecked, we know maybe of three times. Now that's scary. If you guys know me, I freak out If I'm stranded in the sea. All I'm worrying about is not drowning, which is probably more likelihood if you're stranded in the sea, but I'm freaked out with sharks.
Speaker 1:And so I just can't imagine again, when you think of what Paul has gone through here, of the lashings, the beatings with rods, the imprisonments, the being stoned to death, being shipwrecked. And then he says in verse 26, on frequent journeys in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city. So here in verses 26 through 27, he just lumps all these things together. He obviously can write an entire book, if he wanted to, about his suffering, but he just abbreviates them. He just briefly outlines the difficult conditions that he encountered during his missionary journeys as an apostle, which, as we clearly can tell was very challenging, to say the least.
Speaker 1:But you have to ask yourself at what point would you have stopped. You know, recently a colleague, friend and I, we were sent to Nepal and we weren't expecting the conditions of the roads and being in these taxis as long as we were, and you know, kind of having an empty you know stomach and having you know motion, sickness, just car, you know being a car, you know in the car for so long and kind of feeling really overheated. And you're wondering, man, what would it be like if I was just at home right now in AC, and those thoughts would come to you. But you know what that pales in comparison. Or the times I've been in an environment where you have people, you know hecklers, people who are taunting you, people are going after you, or you know standing there and people are looking at your books and nobody picks, nobody purchases them. Like who cares? Like that is nothing in comparison to what Paul's talking about here. So when you and I see the scars of a true man of God, that encourages us, my friends, it should humble us.
Speaker 1:When he's talking about these imprisonments, he's talking about these countless beatings, he's talking about having a near-death experience, in fact, in Acts 13, 14, luke illustrates the treachery and the dangers of the journey that Paul had with his companions when they faced certain issues from Perga to Antioch and Pisidia. I mean, we read about these cities, or we just kind of read briefly about these journeys or these transitions that Luke records, but you got to understand the terrain, how rugged it was, how they posed physical challenges and significant risks One of the things Paul talks about with the bandits lurking along the path, exploiting the travelers' vulnerabilities. So this description emphasizes the real threats they encounter, while spreading the gospel, knowing that, hey, when we got to go from Perga to Antioch and Pisidia, we know that the terrain is very intense. And again, remember they wore sandals, so it wasn't like they had hiking boots. But also guys, what happens if we go against bandits? I mean, we just heard recently some people were. They were, you know, mobbed or they were attacked or killed and murdered. So we have to be careful. Do we really want to go down that road? Is that the only option? Is there another path that we can take? But again, if God calls you to go, do something, are you willing to do it? What are you willing to do? That's the question.
Speaker 1:And so, after seeing what Paul endured to spread and preach the gospel throughout the Roman empire, doesn't it give us new meaning to when he said this in Philippians, chapter 4, 11 through 13,? Not that I am speaking of being in need. Wait, you're thinking so? Paul doesn't mention these things to try to get something in return from people. He's not placating to like. You know the sympathetic you know little cries and woe is me and making a commercial If you act now and you give this money to Paul. No, he's not doing any of that. He says I'm not saying these things because I'm in need of you to provide something.
Speaker 1:He says, for I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content. So right now, you and I look at the things that we're called to do in ministry. Have we learned contentment? Paul says in verse 12, I know how to be brought low. I know how to abound In any and every circumstance. I've learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Speaker 1:So in 2 Corinthians 4, 8 through 12, when he conveyed to the Corinthians the full meaning and the purpose of his suffering, remember he gave perspective. He says we are afflicted in every way, but what Not crushed. Remember, he gave perspective. He says we are afflicted in every way, but what Not crushed, perplexed but not driven to despair, persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed. Always caring in the body of death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies, for we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal. So we're going to pause there today, because one of the things I want to do, starting in verse 28 and following, is highlight now the love and the pressure, the concerns, the anxiety, so the inner turmoil that Paul had for the church and how he lived to serve the church.
Speaker 1:So, my friends, when you look at the scars of the apostle Paul, what scars have you gone through in the ministry serving the Lord?
Speaker 1:And you know what, if you're looking around, you're like Jay, I don't really have a lot of scars in my life.
Speaker 1:Don't fret, don't think of yourself as less of a Christian and God's not using you.
Speaker 1:But perhaps, maybe you're not willing to put yourself out there and trust the Lord, maybe because you are afraid or you are not willing, you're very apathetic and after listening to this, it has convicted you and maybe God's saying hey, you know, you need to start sharing my name to people in the workplace, at school, or you need to jump on board and trust me. The Lord's saying to you that I'm gonna provide the necessary means for you to go on this mission trip. I don't know what it is for you in your life, but I pray and encourage you, as I've recently been doing, as I've been studying these passages, even with you guys. God, what do I need to do? What is it in my life that I need to surrender, that I need to give to you and trust you. So I pray this message has been a blessing and an encouragement for you guys listening and know that we are praying for you and until next time, keep standing strong in the word of God.