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DAILY READ – 2 CORINTHIANS 5

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The Big Read – Daily Read

Read 2 Corinthians 5

2 Corinthians 5

v1-5: We groan as believers because of the burden of life. “The adversities of life are a heavy load,” but another burden is our sinful nature “and the many impurities that still remain and rage” in us. But there is another reason for groaning. “A groaning of desire for the happiness of another life,” that the Lord is preparing us for and which the presence of the Spirit in our lives assures us of.

v6-8: Our home is not this world. We “are pilgrims and strangers in this world… only visitors here.” in our earthly home. God is with us by His Spirit, but “we are not at home with him as we hope to be.” At present we are called to walk by faith, but one day we will live by sight and we see and fully enjoy God.

v9-11: The certainty of God’s judgment should increase our urgency in persuading people “to repent and live a holy life, so that when Christ appears fearfully, they may appear before him with assurance.”

v12-15: “Love has a compelling power to stir ministers and individual Christians to fulfil their duty. Our love for Christ will have this power, and Christ’s love for us, revealed in his dying for us, will have this effect on us, if it is properly considered and rightly judged.” We should live for Christ, who died for us.

v16-17: The grace of God in the life of a Christian transforms them, giving them a new heart and a new nature so they act “from new motives, according to new rules, with new goals, and in new company.”

v18-21: “Just as God is willing to be reconciled to us, we should be reconciled to God. It is the great purpose and intention of the Gospel, that word of reconciliation, to persuade sinners to set aside their hostility toward God. Faithful ministers are Christ’s ambassadors, sent to discuss with sinners the terms of peace and reconciliation; they come in God’s name, with his proposal, and act on behalf of Christ.” God uses his people to “urge sinners to set aside their hostility and accept the terms he offers, to be reconciled to him, to all his attributes, laws, and providences, to believe in the Mediator, to accept the atonement, and comply with his Gospel, in all its parts and intentions.”

Quotes from Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

(Photo: Brad Neathery)

DAILY READ – 2 CORINTHIANS 4:7-18

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The Big Read – Daily Read

Read 2 Corinthians 4:7-18

2 Corinthians 4:7-18

v7-12: When we face any kind of trouble, we do not despair because there is help in God and help from God does not leave or forsake us and who “is able to support us and rescue us,” so we can “always put our trust and hope in him.”

v13-18: There are lots of good reasons why we should not lose heart when we are troubled or burdened or suffer.  There is “encouragement from the good words and examples of others”; the hope of our resurrection because Christ has been raised; the knowledge that our suffering is intended by God for our own good and the good of the church, as we learn to patiently endure them, and this brings glory to God; and also “the prospect of eternal life and happiness.”

Quotes from Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

(Photo: Brad Neathery)

SERMON: GENESIS 24

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Sermon I preached on Genesis 24 at Banstead Community Church on 11th April 2021.

Download MP3

1. God provides a bride for His Son

2. God presents a bride to His Son

More sermons can be found HERE

(Photo: lauramusikanski)

DAILY READ – 2 CORINTHIANS 4:1-6

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The Big Read – Daily Read

Read 2 Corinthians 4:1-6

2 Corinthians 4:1-6

v1-2: Those who preach the gospel, whether they be ministers or not, are to be marked by sincerity and faithfulness. In their methods they are not to act deceptively or in underhanded ways.  In their message they are not to distort the word of God.

v3-4: The devil keeps people from seeing the light of the glory of God revealed through Christ in the gospel.  He “darkens people’s minds, increases their prejudices, and supports his influence by keeping them in the dark, blinding their minds with ignorance, error, and prejudices.” 

v5-6: Lost people do not need to hear our “own ideas and private opinions” but Christ preached, for He alone is the Saviour of sinners as well as the Lord of all.  It is through preaching Christ that the light of the knowledge of the glory of God comes to them.

Quotes from Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

(Photo: Brad Neathery)

LATEST LINKS

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10 links to check out over the weekend…

(Photo: Ryan McGuire)

DAILY READ – 2 CORINTHIANS 3

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The Big Read – Daily Read

Read 2 Corinthians 3

2 Corinthians 3

v1-5: We are reliant upon God “to provide what we need for every good word and work,” He has given us to do.

v6-11: The Law brings condemnation, for it condemns and curses everyone who does not keep it.  The Gospel however brings righteousness by revealing the righteousness of God through faith, showing us “that the just will live by their faith ,” and making known “the grace and mercy of God through Jesus Christ for obtaining forgiveness of sins and eternal life.”

v12-18: When we believe in Jesus, “the veil of ignorance is taken away” and “the blindness of the mind and the hardness of the heart are then healed.”  We have freedom “from the  burden of the ceremonial law and from the slavery of corruption, free access to God and freedom of speech in prayer.”  We also have light, being able to see more clearly the glory of the Lord, and as we look upon Him, we are transformed to be like Him “from one degree of glorious grace to another.”

Quotes from Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

(Photo: Brad Neathery)

DAILY READ – 2 CORINTHIANS 2:12-17

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The Big Read – Daily Read

Read 2 Corinthians 2:12-17

2 Corinthians 2:12-17

v12-13: We should give God our thanks every time He opens a door for our mouths to speak the gospel or He opens the hearts of our hearers to respond to it.

v14-17: The gospel will have varying success in the people who hear it.  “Some are saved by it, while others will perish under it.”  Whether we see success or not, we are called to be faithful.  Faithful in speaking the true gospel found in Scripture and faithful in actually speaking this gospel to people.

Quotes from Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

(Photo: Brad Neathery)

FIELD NOTES (9/4/W)

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7/4/W

Resources to check out:

* God and the Transgender Debate by Andrew T Walker is the free ebook this month from The Good Book Company.

* 9Marks has a new journal out – How to build up your church.

* Glen Scrivener has been serving the church well with this collection of interviews on abuse in the church in light of the recent high profile scandals.

* I really like Megan Hill’s book, A Place to Belong, so I’m expecting that her book of 50 Meditations for Pastors’ and Elders’ Wives, Partners in the Gospel, will be good too and one for pastors to get for their wives.

* Lots of good things are being said about Matt Searles’ book God’s Story.

* Knowing God by J.I. Packer is one of those books I’ve started lots of times but never finished.  Next time I try I’ll have this outline of the whole book by Ligon Duncan to hand.

* Check out this TV series about the life of Christ – The Chosen.

* Mark Meynell’s ‘O Tempora! O Mores Evangelici’ blogposts have been collected together into this free ebook.

* A couple of useful resources for those leading corporate worship: A Collection of Prayers and Singing Psalms (for the free pdf with hymn tune metres).

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Some things to reflect on:

* John Webster says exegesis is “the attempt to hear what the Spirit says to the Churches.”

* Craig A. Carter gives this brief definition of theological hermeneutics: “Jesus Christ is the Word who speaks, the Word which is spoken and the reality (res) of which the Word speaks.”

* Dan Steel points us to a helpful pair of questions (particularly for those in ministry):
– What are your own personal besetting sins?
– How do they impact how you minister to others?

* A tweet from Dustin Benge: “Weak and ineffective Christianity is the result of amassing numbers instead of making disciples.”

* In the context of abuse in the church from Glen Scrivener: “Genesis 1: Let light shine.  Genesis 2: Let things be named.  Genesis 3: Let go of fig leaves.  It’s how God always works.  It’s what we always resist.”

DAILY READ – 2 CORINTHIANS 2:1-11

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The Big Read – Daily Read

Read 2 Corinthians 2:1-11

2 Corinthians 2:1-11

v1-4: The motivation for warning and rebuking church members about their sin, even exercising church discipline if they refuse to repent, is love.

v5-11: When a church member under discipline repents of their sin, they should be restored quickly, because the purpose of church discipline is to reform not ruin. If this does not happen quickly, there is a danger “that Satan might take advantage of the penitent by driving him to despair” and also, that Satan might “take advantage of the churches… or ministers of Christ by representing them as too strict and severe, and so frightening people from coming among them.” A local church needs wisdom so that it neither indulges sin or is too harsh toward sinners.

Quotes from Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

(Photo: Brad Neathery)

KIDS TALK: 2 CORINTHIANS

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The Big Read – 2 Corinthians

Powerpoint Pictures: Tree Trunk; Ant; Jelly; Bull; Baby; Chain; Hulk Hogan; Twig; Picture of Cup Cake that looks like an ice-cream

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Are the following things weak or strong? [Tree trunk; Ant; Jelly; Bull; Baby; Links in a Chain; Hulk Hogan; Twig; Jesus on the cross].

In 2 Corinthians, the apostle Paul is writing to the church in Corinth to warn them about a group he calls the ‘super-apostles’.  The super-apostles were false teachers who seemed to be very impressive compared to Paul.

But Paul tells the church that they shouldn’t listen to these ‘super-apostles’ because unlike him, they are not genuine apostles.

Paul says that he is a genuine apostle because his preaching is about Jesus and his ministry is like Jesus’ too, and that is why he seems to be weak and unimpressive.

Jesus appeared to be weak.  Paul said he was meek and gentle, he became poor, and he suffered and died.  To the world those who follow Jesus will appear to be weak too.

But things aren’t always what they seem.

Look at the picture.  What do you see? [An ice cream].  However things aren’t always what they seem, because in fact the picture is of a cupcake.

That’s true of Jesus in 2 Corinthians.  He appears to be weak but in fact He is actually really strong.  He can reconcile us to God, He bears our sin and makes us righteous, He is powerful enough to turn us into new creations:

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Does this sound to you like someone who is weak?

And Jesus does all this as men and women who are weak preach the good news about Him who is strong.

As Paul writes to warn the church about the ‘super-apostles’, we see a Jesus who is strong and powerful even when He appears to be weak.

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More talks from The Big Read for Kids can be found HERE

(Photo: Freely)

DAILY READ – 2 CORINTHIANS 1:12-24

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The Big Read – Daily Read

Read 2 Corinthians 1:12-24

2 Corinthians 1:12-24

v12-14: When a believer in Christ is seen to be living lives that are “holy, upright, and without blemish” (in the sense of being above reproach rather than sinless), it is a cause for rejoicing. Members of a local church should rejoice when their leaders are seen to behave in this way, in the same way that leaders do when members are living godly lives.

v15-24: All of God’s promises are “Yes” and “Amen.” This is because they are the promises of God who cannot lie; they are made in Christ Jesus who is the Amen, and the true and faithful witness; and they are confirmed by the Spirit of truth who strengthens the faith of a Christian in them. “The truthfulness of God, the mediation of Christ, and the activity of the Spirit are all committed to see that the promises will be certain to all Christ’s descendants, and their fulfilment will be to the glory of God.”

Quotes from Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

(Photo: Brad Neathery)