A heart opened wide - Part I

As Randy read for us in the 2nd Corinthians passage, chapter 6, verse 13 verses, this is a passage we'll be looking at today and next Sunday as well. It is about Paul's open heart before the believers and his appeal for them to have an open heart, a heart that returns the affections, the sacrificial love that Paul himself has shown. In this passage, Paul lays his heart openly out before them. He lays it out before the believers of the city of Corinth.

He says, we have come to you at great expense, expense of our own life and comfort and safety. He tells them what has taken place, certainly physically, the things that they've endured, but also he talks to them what has happened spiritually. to meet those challenges that have come to them physically. He tells them that his ministry here has not only come at the cost of safety and comfort, and that in great degree, but also by the sufficiency of God's resources. How are those distresses and those discomforts, those threats to safety, met? They are met by God's own resources as he shares with them.

Paul's open heart, as Randy read for us, also asks for them to open their heart as well, to return the love and the affections that he and his companions, his fellow ministers of the gospel, have shown to them. Now here's the poetic pattern, as you have it also on the slide in your handout. And Paul quotes from an Old Testament passage to put the focus here He says, at the acceptable time I listened to you, and at the day of salvation I helped you.

Behold, now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation. We are accustomed perhaps to hearing that as an appeal to people need to believe to be saved now, and that certainly is true. But what he is appealing to here is actually beyond that, because salvation is not just for that one time when we first believe, is it? Salvation is for that time when we first believe. Salvation is for now. And salvation is even for eternity, beyond this life. One of the points that comes out in this passage, and we would want to underscore it, as a matter of fact, Hassan and I were talking about it just yesterday.

God's grace is so infinite that He will be demonstrating His great wealth of it on into the rolling ages of eternity. Think of the very wealthiest people on the planet who as individual assets hold billions of dollars worth of physical assets. We consider that wealth. What scripture makes clear is God is someone who has wealth beyond wealth of grace. He is immensely rich in grace, but he doesn't want us to just look at some number or grasp the concept of infinity, he will in fact demonstrate his grace on into the rolling ages of eternity.

That's the message of Ephesians 2.7.

And by the way, this answers the question that people have, what will I be doing for eternity? Will I be looking at my watch millions of times saying, when's the next coffee break? Will I be wondering what of millions of different kinds of additives to my coffee will I select this next time? No. It will not be a question of what we will be doing forever. It will be a question of what God will be doing forever and what he will be doing is demonstrating the wealth of his grace on into the rolling ages of eternity.

God's grace is also the one outstanding reigning principle of the church. And when we say reigning principle, what do we mean? It's a fundamental truth, that's part one, and it's the way things work. It's the way God intended for things to work. Grace is the reigning principle.

Believers can, at times, mistakenly pick when and where they want to receive God's grace. Oh, I want God's grace here, but not here. I would like to have God's grace at this moment, but at that other moment, well, hold it aside. Believers can make that mistake, and that's, of course, one of the things that he's addressing. God has done things such that, spiritually speaking, we breathe in an atmosphere of pure grace. In that respect, don't hold your breath. Don't hold your breath. Why? You go ahead and breathe in the grace every moment.

It is something that the Lord intends us to have as the reigning principle, not only here while we walk this planet, but on into the ages of eternity. Grace, grace, grace. So, when are we to receive God's grace? Exactly what place on the clock do we receive God's grace?

One of the things that Nancy did that was very wise when our children were young is to teach them how to read the clock. And one of the reasons why she was very wise is she taught the boys when they couldn't understand many other things, When this big hand gets here, and when that little hand gets there, then you may wake me up, and not before then. Right? She taught them the meaning of time. It was very important.

But when are we to receive God's grace? Forget the clock. No matter what stage of life we're in, no matter what the circumstances, the time for us all to receive God's grace and to express God's grace, to be the instrument and channel of God's grace, both to believers and those who are not believers, is right now. And one second later, right now. And now. And all the nows ever to come.

We don't pick and choose, or at least we are not to pick and choose the time when we receive God's grace. Since we live in a time when, as we said, grace is the reigning principle, there is neither a time nor circumstances when our receiving or expressing God's grace is not exactly what God intends. All the time. Every circumstance.

One of the things that this passage makes it clear Paul spells it out. God's grace can be received in vain by us who believe. Having received God's grace, we don't continue in it. That's receiving God's grace in vain. It's even possible, as we spelled out studying the book of Galatians, and they will come across it here as they go through it in the Galatians elective, it's possible for us to fall from grace even while being saved.

It doesn't mean we lose our salvation, but it means that it is possible for us to fall from living by grace, to fall in the sense of each moment we depend upon ourselves. How is that done? By seeking to be justified by living under the law. That's possible.

God's grace isn't irresistible ultimately, but can be received in vain in our lives. That is why Paul urges that they do receive God's most amazing grace as expressed in the ministry of Paul. We urge you to receive God's grace. Here in Acts 20, 24, he is talking to the elders at Ephesus for the last time. He has spent three years total with them, teaching them.

And he puts it this way in Acts 20.24, But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord. Notice, he received the Lord to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.

And Ephesians 3.8 and 9, To me, the very least of all the saints, this grace was given. This grace was given to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, including His grace, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery. A mystery is a truth that is in the past unknown, but now revealed, right? Which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things. Romans 5, 1 and 2 puts it this way.

Therefore, having been justified by faith, that's declared righteous, how? By faith. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Not because we try to have peace, not because we try to have peace on our own terms, but through the Lord Jesus Christ. Through whom also we have obtained an introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand. What's our position with respect to grace? We stand in it. Do you try to reach grace? Do you try to obtain it and work for it? No. You stand in it. Right now, if you're a believer, you may be sitting down, but you stand in grace, right?

And here in Romans 5.17, later on in that same chapter, But if by the transgression of the one, Adam, death reigned through the one, Adam, Much more, those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one Jesus Christ.

This word receive means to right now be actively receiving. Okay? It's not just you kind of sit there, the quarterback throws the ball to you, and just kind of fwoomp. No. It's actively receiving His grace. Open arms. Okay? The abundance of grace, that's another key point. It's not wimpy skimpy grace. God doesn't give you just sort of leftover grace and kind of open out of his pockets. I'm sorry, that's all the grace I got. No, we're talking an abundance, a huge amount. You were thinking that you were going to get a glass of water and instead you got an ocean.

God is not wimpy skimpy on his grace. The grace is not only amazing in every other respect, it's amazing in its magnitude. One other thing, and that is in the English, and I think they did this because they couldn't believe that Paul could actually write this, in the English they've taken out a lot of the does in this passage.

Here is the way the Apostle drives the point home in Romans 5.17, in the original language it sounds like this, "...for if by the transgression of the one, the death reign through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of the grace and the gift of the righteousness will reign in life through the one Jesus Christ." Do you get the point? Right?

Paul is emphatic in this verse. He lays it down again and again and again. This is the abundance of the grace. This is the spectacular abundance of a grace like none other. That's what he's talking about. Oh, and that's what I'm talking about. All right. Now, you have on two a slide that looks like this. And you're probably thinking, Vern, I don't have binoculars. Well, that's okay. First of all, you've got a slide and it's bigger on your scale.

And it shows the poetic pattern in verses 3 through 10. And we're going to make it a little bit easier by taking the top part of it and expanding it, giving no cause for offense in anything so that the ministry will not be discredited, but in contrast, in everything, commending ourselves as servants of God. In verses 3 and 4. In verses 3 and 4 here he talks about the ministry of grace. Paul had carried out his ministry of grace and at least his intent was that he would cause no offense in anything. None whatsoever.

He was being gracious. He even would work all sorts of odd and crazy hours making tents. Why? So that he wouldn't be offending someone by asking for support money. His ministry was also graciously given to him, as we've seen there in the Ephesians 3 passage. However, it was received by others, whether they received it graciously or not, that's how it was given to him. Paul's intent here was there be no actual basis for anyone to discredit his ministry You see, it was quite common for people in that era who were kind of carrying about some doctrine of some sort to go around and expect people to give them lots of money. It was common for some of those people to be deceptive in how they did things. Paul wanted nothing of the sort. He made every effort to make sure that what he presented to them was genuine, even to the point of, as we see in this passage, having a heart open wide. He says, I've got nothing to conceal.

Paul's ministry and the one each of us is called to is based on grace from start to finish. God has not called you to a ministry in this life that is not based on His infinite grace. The poetic pattern continues with a little three-word line here, in much endurance, it says in the New American Standard. I think it's in much patience in the King James and New King James. Now, so does that mean everybody's got to run a marathon? Is that what ministry is about? You run with much endurance and run a marathon? Well, not exactly. There are two Greek words that are often translated patience. It's with much endurance in the New American Standard, being patience in the King James.

There are these two words often translated to patience. One word means to have patience with people and we will see that in this passage in verse 6. That word patience, impatience, in verse 6 is that word that means to have patience with people. But the other word found in verse 4 means patiently enduring and I think that's because the word actually means so many things, patiently enduring, That's why the translators kind of pick one.

So the New American Standard has endurance and the King James has patience. In fact, it's patient endurance. But even more than that, the word implies more than just patient endurance. It implies a patience with circumstances accompanied even by cheerfulness and a hopeful anticipation. Wow, that's a really power packed word, a patient endurance accompanied by cheerfulness and hopeful anticipation. It's a patience with spiritual dimensions and perspectives, and it looks towards the difficulties as being productive. I'm sure you've been through situations where when it's all done, you say, I'm glad that's over, right?

Paul looks at the difficulties and he said, the Lord is using this in my life. The Lord is being productive with these difficulties. Now, I look down this list here in afflictions and hardships and distresses and beatings and imprisonments, tumults, labor, sleeplessness, and hunger. To me, that sounds like a young mother of young children, right? And so anyway, that's what came to my mind. But, in the middle of verse 4 there on into the end of verse 5, Paul begins a listing of phrases beginning with the word in.

These in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, and so forth. Each of these phrases briefly describes circumstances that are admittedly difficult, and maybe difficult in some cases is not a sufficient word. All of these difficult circumstances, all of these hardships are done in patient endurance. Patient endurance with, believe it or not, cheerfulness. Patient endurance with hopefulness built in. Patient endurance with an expectation that the Lord is going to be productive in it and productive as a result of it.

These difficulties are some that he's going to give us more detail about. He's going to list them when we get to 2 Corinthians chapter 11, verses 23 through 29. He goes and lists the number of shipwrecks, number of beatings, etc. He's going to give us more detail.

So, we can begin to answer the question, so are we guaranteed that the Christian life will be a piece of cake? And by the way, you might notice that this piece of cake is really a stack of pieces of wood with icing on it. But anyway, is the Christian life going to be a piece of cake? The answer is maybe not. Probably not. Most certainly not, right?

Paul makes clear his ministry is not a piece of cake. In fact, the external circumstances are often really bad at least by themselves. Very difficult. He lists these difficulties and they're tough ones. In the same way, the ministries that the Lord has called us to might be some really difficult circumstances. Might involve that too. We can expect that. Expect difficulties. At times, Christians will have the idea that it's God's job to make my life smooth and easy and painless.

If that's the case, God's doing a lousy, terrible job. He's doing an awful job if that's His job. But in fact, what Paul's telling us, that's not His job. God has not called us to just grit our teeth and bear it, Not having any idea why God's allowing all this stuff.

I'm a Christian and I love it. Right? This is so good being a Christian. It's so joyful. The pain is wonderful. No. Okay? That's not the way he expects us to look at things. What he does, he begins to respond to these difficulties, these pains, these agonies, these distresses. And what does he do? He changes from listing the external circumstances to a list of spiritual realities that meet those circumstances. Why? Because the believer is in Christ, and Christ is in the believer. So what does he do? He lists impurity in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love, Word of truth and the power of God.

Is Paul going to meet up with these difficulties and say, you know, that's no problem because I have all kinds of special ops training. And so I come in there and it doesn't matter what they throw at me. I've got special ops training and I've got equipment and I just take them out. So it's not a problem. They can throw whatever they want at me. I'm tough. No, that's not the point.

He gets in the middle of these various difficulties. It's because the outward trials meet with inner realities, spiritual realities. He gives the list there that we see there in verses 6 and 7. Let's go through them one at a time. Impurity. Is Paul pure? Does Paul have purity? Is his ministry in purity because he's a really, really good goody-two-shoes? No. It is because his purity depends upon the purity of Christ. Why? He's in Christ and Christ is in him. That's why. In knowledge, is it because Paul knows everything and he wants you to know it? No. In the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, it's not what you know, it's who you know.

When we come together here, we study God's Word. We learn about God's Word together, not just so we can know stuff. In fact, just having Bible stuff packed in your gray matter won't do you much good. I don't even recommend it. But the intent is so that we know Him.

We were studying in the Thursday night study in the Gospel of John not too long ago. And one of the things we noticed, at one place Jesus was talking to the Jewish leaders. And he said, you guys have studied the Old Testament. He didn't call it that, but you studied the Scriptures.

And you know what? You guys have got it figured out right. You've got the right God. Your problem? You don't know Him. You've got the right God, but you don't know Him. And that's a problem. That's a serious problem. And the proof that you don't know Him is you don't know me. You don't know who I am. The knowledge is not just stuffing our head. The knowledge is the knowledge of Christ. And learning all about the Bible without knowing Him is a complete waste of time.

Impatience. Now this is the other word for patience. The first one Patient endurance, depending on which translation. The first one is patience in the circumstance. This one here is patience with people. It's one of the fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience. That's what happens when we depend upon the Spirit. It's patience with people. People you're related to. People that You wish you weren't related to. People who you come in contact with. Neighbors. People you work with. People who are in front of you in the grocery store line.

Okay? Kindness, another of the fruit of the Spirit. Okay? Patience, kindness, and wouldn't you know it, in the Holy Spirit, it fits. Right? Boy, scripture is consistent. It's almost like it's inspired or something. In the Holy Spirit, and here is in genuine love. Here is another of the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5, 22 and 23. In patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love. And what's more? In the word of truth. The word of the truth. One of the other things that Hassan and I were talking about is the Bible talks about the faith.

Not the idea of the faiths, plural. Not the idea that there are a bunch of different faiths and it doesn't matter what you believe. The singular faith. The set of teachings and doctrines that the Apostles taught. Not so that you can pack your head full of Bible stuff. Not so that we can all believe this dusty set of doctrines that we all say we believe in. But so that we have the singular faith to know the singular Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. That's why the faith, so that we know Him. The word of the truth and finally in the power of God.

There is nothing that God asks us to do. Nothing that God asks us to do for which He has not empowered and enabled and energized us and provided all the resources to carry it out. He doesn't ask you by yourself to do anything. As a matter of fact, God doesn't even want that. God doesn't want you to go out and do something for Him. He wants to do what He wants to do through you for Him. That's rewardable, in the power of God. That's what Paul's doing.

In verses 7 and 8 we have a lot of by and by's. In verse 7 there in the beginning of verse 8 gives Paul's means of ministry both by what is good and by what is perceived as bad or negative. What do I mean by that? One of them, he talks about the weapons of righteousness. It brings to mind spiritual warfare. When we studied through Ephesians 6, 10 and 18, which we've done actually in a few different contexts here at Holly Hills, that talks about the weapons that we have spiritually. And how does Paul get things done? grabs hold of the spiritual armor, which is who he is in Christ. That's our armor. That's the weapons of righteousness.

He makes contrasts here which seem at odds. He talks about right and left, glory and dishonor, good and evil report. What's he talking about there? The perception of the bad or negative is man's view and not God's view. What do we mean by that? He uses the word regarded. This is how people perceive things. It's the view of the unspiritual in the world who don't see Paul's ministry as it is. In each case, he's going to state what the truth is. This is how it's perceived, and this is what the truth is. As deceivers, some might see, and yet absolutely true. As unknown, like what on earth are you talking about? and yet well-known by God.

As dying, oh, look at those apostles. They're going through all these terrible things. They will be dead in no time. And behold, yet we live. As punished, but not punished ultimately, not put to death, at least not yet. As sorrowful, oh, look how pitiful they are. but always rejoicing.

One of the things that we describe is in the book of Acts, in chapter 16, Paul goes to the church at Philippi. Well, he first goes there before the church is established. And Paul and his friend Silas are put in the prison there in Philippi. Let me describe what it was like to be put in the prison, because they were put in the stocks.

What they would do is they would take a face of rock and they would dig into the rock, a place to put the prisoner, a space about the size of a dishwasher, the inside of a dishwasher. They would have the prisoner backed in, sitting on the rock, and by the way, the rock wasn't warmed, okay?

Sitting on the rock, backed into this dishwasher-sized space, And by the way, they didn't wash it from the last guy. And you want a potty break? You don't get those. And neither did the last guy or the guy before that. And then they would put the bars in front and you would have your hands and your feet locked into those bars. It was while sitting there in that terribly uncomfortable position when the jailer didn't give him a break, not even a potty break, Locked in that position, Paul and Silas are singing till midnight.

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! It's better to say that than the other thing some of the people might have been thinking, right? Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Singing praises to the Lord in this terrible, awful position. But it was getting people's attention. Sorrowful? That's the way they ought to be. But always rejoicing, even if it means you're rejoicing in a place where nobody can comprehend why you would be.

Poor, yet making many rich. Why rich? Rich because they are in Christ. Rich because Christ is in them. Rich because of God's amazing wealth of grace. As having nothing Look at those guys, they don't have anything. Paul's got to go and scrounge around to get some parts to make a tent with and sell it so that he can eat. Yet possessing all things. Why? Because he's in Christ and Christ is in him.

When we looked at 2 Corinthians 4, 8 and 9, it had some of this contrast kind of language. Afflicted in every way, but not crushed. Perplexed, but not despairing. Persecuted, but not forsaken. Struck down, but not destroyed. similar to what he does here.

Now in verses 11 through 13, Paul starts off, Our mouth has spoken freely to you, O Corinthians. Our heart was open wide, implied to you. You are not restrained by us, but you are restrained in your own affections for us. Now, in like exchange, I speak to you as children, that is, with a tender appeal. with a simple appeal, open wide your heart to us also. We have been open to you at great expense. And why would we do that? Because of the Lord's influence and power and enabling in our own hearts. Open wide your hearts. Respond to the love that we've shown to you.

We showed at the opening here this kind of mirror image picture of the mountains and then the reflection in the lake. A beautiful scene, no doubt. And in the middle there is kind of the reflection line between the mountains and the trees and what shows up. A chiasm, as we've spoken of verses 11 through 13, is a mirror image in written form. We could point out something similar here. I think this is actually in the Rockies and a similar idea. Chiasm is a mirror image in written form and that's exactly what 11 through 13 is.

The top half is about Paul's expression and openness of heart to the believers in Corinth. The bottom half, the second half, is about the believers response to Paul and his companions. He says, we have been open hearted to you. Please, would you be open-hearted to us? Would you respond in like kind? He's been telling us in these verses about a heart open wide. Paul has been revealing his thoughts, his motives, the deepest basis for all that he and all those who are ministering with him were doing, placed out in the open, laid out for everybody to see. No hidden agendas, no fine print, no exceptions.

Just this is who we are. This is why we're doing it. This is the price at which we're doing it, but all because of God's grace. All he asked for was for the believers in the city of Corinth, he appealed to them to do the same thing. To respond to the love, the sacrificial love, and the affections that they had expressed. The basis for all that we do then is out in the open. It depends entirely upon who we are in Him and who Christ is in us. Knowing that we are in Christ and He in us answers this very important human question.

Who are you? Paul has been telling them, here's who I, Paul, am. I am who I am in Christ. I am who I am because Christ is in me. And you know, the same thing is true of you. The definition, who am I? Scripture spells it out. No identity crisis here. And He spells it out in purity. Why?

Because Christ's life is living out the purity. because he is in Christ. In knowledge, not of Bible knowledge, not of just things you know, but knowledge of Jesus Christ. In patience, kindness, and genuine love that are all fruit of the Spirit. And the word of truth, not because we just want to believe something and we're really stubborn, but because Paul is convinced and he knows it is the truth because he knows who is the truth.

In the power of God, that's the only way you can do things that way. That's the only way that you can do as Paul did. Things like we described in the jail in Philippi. How could you possibly sit in that dismal, cold, very smelly place, dank with no circulation, in the darkness, and sing about the glory of the Lord till midnight? How else could that happen? By the power of God. Let's pray.

Lord, as we look at this passage, we begin to get a glimpse of the amazing life that the Lord, You, intend us to live. And Lord, as we look at this passage too, we see that we are not guaranteed to have every question answered, every need met, especially not instantly. And every perceived need met, certainly. But Lord, we know that you are adequate and sufficient for all things. You've said so. You've spelled it out. We thank you for that sufficiency. We thank you for that adequacy. We thank you for the identity, who we are in you and who you are in us. We thank you in Jesus' name. Amen.