BOOK OF 2 CORINTHIANS
REMEMBERING WHAT MATTERSBy MAX LUCADONelson Impact
Copyright © 2007Thomas Nelson
All right reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4185-0972-9Contents
How to Study the Bible........................................ivIntroduction to the Book of 2 Corinthians.....................viiLesson 1 Suffering............................................1Lesson 2 Plans................................................11Lesson 3 God's New Agreement..................................21Lesson 4 Soli Deo Gloria!.....................................31Lesson 5 Eternal Perspective..................................41Lesson 6 Living as a Servant..................................51Lesson 7 Follow the Leader....................................61Lesson 8 Money Matters........................................71Lesson 9 Ground Zero..........................................81Lesson 10 Perseverance........................................91Lesson 11 Sustaining Grace....................................101Lesson 12 Maturity............................................111
Chapter One
LESSON ONE
SUFFERING
REFLECTION
Life is full of ups and downs. We can be cruising along, everything working perfectly. Then, suddenly, unexpectedly, the wheels can go flying off, and we find ourselves in the proverbial ditch, wondering, "What just happened?" Which end of the spectrum best describes your life just now?
SITUATION
Less than a year after writing 1 Corinthians, Paul wrote this epistle. Unforeseen circumstances had forced Paul to delay a planned visit to Corinth. This change in plans gave certain false teachers in Corinth ammunition to accuse him of being unreliable and not a true apostle-charges that deeply grieved Paul and caused many to question his motives. Paul found comfort in God.
OBSERVATION
Read 2 Corinthians 1:1-11 from the NCV or the NKJV.
NCV
1 From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus. I am an apostle because that is what God wanted. Also from Timothy our brother in Christ.
To the church of God in Corinth, and to all of God's people everywhere in Southern Greece:
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is the Father who is full of mercy and all comfort. 4 He comforts us every time we have trouble, so when others have trouble, we can comfort them with the same comfort God gives us. 5 We share in the many sufferings of Christ. In the same way, much comfort comes to us through Christ. 6 If we have troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation, and if we have comfort, you also have comfort. This helps you to accept patiently the same sufferings we have. 7 Our hope for you is strong, knowing that you share in our sufferings and also in the comfort we receive.
8 Brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the trouble we suffered in Asia. We had great burdens there that were beyond our own strength. We even gave up hope of living. 9 Truly, in our own hearts we believed we would die. But this happened so we would not trust in ourselves but in God, who raises people from the dead. 10 God saved us from these great dangers of death, and he will continue to save us. We have put our hope in him, and he will save us again. 11 And you can help us with your prayers. Then many people will give thanks for us-that God blessed us because of their many prayers.
NKJV
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
To the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. 6 Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. 7 And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.
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 even of 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.
EXPLORATION
1. How do Paul's letters differ from the letters and e-mails you write?
2. How does Paul describe God?
3. How would you explain the difference between hope and comfort?
4. Paul gives us a window into his emotional state during the worst of his recent trials. What words and phrases does he use?
5. According to Paul, what are some of the positive things that can result when we look to God during life's trials?
INSPIRATION
"That evening Jesus' followers went down to Lake Galilee. It was dark now, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The followers got into a boat and started across the lake to Capernaum. By now a strong wind was blowing, and the waves on the lake were getting bigger" (John 6:16-18 NCV) ...
They did exactly what Jesus said, and look what it got them! A night on a storm-tossed sea with their Master somewhere on the shore.
It's one thing to suffer for doing wrong. Something else entirely to suffer for doing right. But it happens. And when the storm bursts, it washes away the naive assumption that if I do right, I will never suffer.
Just ask the faithful couple whose crib is empty and whose womb is barren.
Just ask the businessman whose honest work was rewarded with runaway inflation.
Just ask the student who took a stand for the truth and got mocked ... the husband who took a chance and forgave his wife, only to be betrayed again.
And so the winds blow.
And so the boat bounces.
And so the disciples wonder, "Why the storm, and where is Jesus?" ...
Mark tells us that during the storm Jesus "saw his followers struggling" (Mark 6:48). Through the night he saw them. Through the storm he saw them. And like a loving father he waited. He waited until the right time, until the right moment. He waited until he knew it was time to come, and then he came.
What made it the right time? I don't know. Why was the ninth hour better than the fourth or fifth? I can't answer that. Why does God wait until the money is gone? Why does he wait until the sickness has lingered? Why does he choose to wait until the other side of the grave to answer the prayers for healing?
I don't know. I only know his timing is always right. I can only say he will do what is best. "God will always give what is right to his people who cry to him night and day, and he will not be slow to answer them" (Luke 18:7).
Though you hear nothing, he is speaking. Though you see nothing, he is acting. With God there are no accidents. Every incident is intended to bring us closer to him. (From A Gentle Thunder by Max Lucado)
REACTION
6. How does the incident of Christ's disciples on a stormy sea (John 6) echo the truths presented in 2 Corinthians 1?
7. Think back over your life to the hardest trials and most excruciating times of suffering. What got you through?
8. What are the primary ways that God brings comfort to his hurting children?
9. Many people in the midst of difficulty become negative and resort to incessant complaining. Not Paul. How do you think he maintained his hopeful outlook?
10. How can a person change his or her attitude in the midst of suffering and use it to grow in faith?
11. Who in your sphere of influence is facing a hard time right now? How can Paul's teaching benefit them?
LIFE LESSONS
A renowned psychiatrist was once asked how to overcome depression. His advice? "Get dressed, lock your house, go find someone who is in need, and serve that person." In other words, get the focus off yourself and look for ways to help others. This others-centered mind-set is to be the hallmark of every Christian's life. Jesus constantly lived to serve others (Matt. 20:28). The apostle Paul did likewise. In a situation where lesser men would have decided to throw a major "pity party," licking their wounds and lamenting their woeful condition, Paul turned to God for comfort. Then he picked up a pen and determined to write a letter that would help the Corinthians think and live in ways that honor God.
DEVOTION
Thank you, God, for being my merciful Father and the source of ultimate comfort. You are so faithful and good! Teach me the holy habit of looking to you to meet all my needs. Show me daily how to draw upon your infinite resources so that I might be a source of compassion to others who hurt.
For more Bible passages on looking to God for comfort in suffering, see Psalm 23:1-4; 119:50-52; John 14:16-17; Philippians 2:1-2; and James 1:3-12.
To complete the book of 2 Corinthians during this twelve-part study, read 2 Corinthians 1:1-11.
JOURNALING
How does your mind-set affect your mood?
Chapter Two
LESSON TWO
PLANS
REFLECTION
Perhaps you've heard the old phrase "The best laid plans of mice and men ..." People say this when things go awry, when a predetermined agenda falls apart. Describe a recent experience in which your plans (travel or business or financial, etc.) did not work out, resulting in either internal angst or interpersonal friction.
SITUATION
For whatever reasons-internal prompting, external interference, or perhaps a bit of both-Paul did not visit Corinth as he had planned. Some influential leaders in the church used this situation to call into question Paul's credibility as an apostle and to undermine his authority and his message.
OBSERVATION
Read 2 Corinthians 1:12-2:4 from the NCV or the NKJV.
NCV
12 This is what we are proud of, and I can say it with a clear conscience: In everything we have done in the world, and especially with you, we have had an honest and sincere heart from God. We did this by God's grace, not by the kind of wisdom the world has. 13-14 We write to you only what you can read and understand. And I hope that as you have understood some things about us, you may come to know everything about us. Then you can be proud of us, as we will be proud of you on the day our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
15 I was so sure of all this that I made plans to visit you first so you could be blessed twice. 16 I planned to visit you on my way to Macedonia and again on my way back. I wanted to get help from you for my trip to Judea. 17 Do you think that I made these plans without really meaning it? Or maybe you think I make plans as the world does, so that I say yes, yes and at the same time no, no.
18 But if you can believe God, you can believe that what we tell you is never both yes and no. 19 The Son of God, Jesus Christ, that Silas and Timothy and I preached to you, was not yes and no. In Christ it has always been yes. 20 The yes to all of God's promises is in Christ, and through Christ we say yes to the glory of God. 21 Remember, God is the One who makes you and us strong in Christ. God made us his chosen people. 22 He put his mark on us to show that we are his, and he put his Spirit in our hearts to be a guarantee for all he has promised.
23 I tell you this, and I ask God to be my witness that this is true: The reason I did not come back to Corinth was to keep you from being punished or hurt. 24 We are not trying to control your faith. You are strong in faith. But we are workers with you for your own joy.
2:1 So I decided that my next visit to you would not be another one to make you sad. 2 If I make you sad, who will make me glad? Only you can make me glad-particularly the person whom I made sad. 3I wrote you a letter for this reason: that when I came to you I would not be made sad by the people who should make me happy. I felt sure of all of you, that you would share my joy. 4 When I wrote to you before, I was very troubled and unhappy in my heart, and I wrote with many tears. I did not write to make you sad, but to let you know how much I love you.
NKJV
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.
15 And in this confidence I intended to come to you before, that you might have a second benefit-16 to pass by way of you to Macedonia, to come again from Macedonia to you, and be helped by you on my way to Judea. 17 Therefore, when I was planning this, did I do it lightly? Or the things I plan, do I plan according to the flesh, that with me there should be Yes, Yes, and No, No? 18 But as God is faithful, our word to you was not Yes and No. 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us-by me, Silvanus, and Timothy-was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes. 20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. 21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, 22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
23 Moreover I call God as witness against my soul, that to spare you I came no more to Corinth. 24 Not that we have dominion over your faith, but are fellow workers for your joy; for by faith you stand.
3:1 But I determined this within myself, that I would not come again to you in sorrow. 2 For if I make you sorrowful, then who is he who makes me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me?
3 And I wrote this very thing to you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow over those from whom I ought to have joy, having confidence in you all that my joy is the joy of you all. 4 For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you.
EXPLORATION
1. What event caused the Corinthian church to distrust Paul?
2. What does Paul claim here about his true motives?
3. How does Paul differentiate between his way of planning and the world's way of planning?
4. In this section, Paul mentions each person of the Trinity. What revealing things does he say about each?
5. What are the reasons stated in verses 2:23-3:4 for Paul's change of plans?
INSPIRATION
When David, who was a warrior, minstrel, and ambassador for God, searched for an illustration of God, he remembered his days as a shepherd. He remembered how he lavished attention on the sheep day and night. How he slept with them and watched over them.
And the way he cared for the sheep reminded him of the way God cares for us. David rejoiced to say, "The Lord is my shepherd," and in so doing he proudly implied, "I am his sheep."
Still uncomfortable with being considered a sheep? Will you humor me and take a simple quiz? See if you succeed in self-reliance. Raise your hand if any of the following describe you.
You can control your moods. You're never grumpy or sullen. You can't relate to Jekyll and Hyde. You're always upbeat and upright. Does that describe you? No? Well, let's try another.
You are at peace with everyone. Every relationship as sweet as fudge. Even your old flames speak highly of you. Love all and are loved by all. Is that you? If not, how about this description?
You have no fears. Call you the Teflon toughie. Wall Street plummets-no problem. Heart condition discovered-yawn. World War III starts-what's for dinner?
Does this describe you?
You need no forgiveness. Never made a mistake. As square as a game of checkers. As clean as grandma's kitchen. Never cheated, never lied, never lied about cheating. Is that you? No?
Let's evaluate this. You can't control your moods. A few of your relationships are shaky. You have fears and faults. Hmmm. Do you really want to hang on to your chest of self-reliance? Sounds to me as if you could use a shepherd. (From Traveling Light by Max Lucado)
REACTION
6. The "job description" of a sheep is to go wherever the shepherd guides it. Why is it so hard for us as Christians to let go of our agendas and follow Christ?
7. How can we tell if our hearts are "honest and sincere" (v. 12 NCV)?
8. When you sense God leading you in a new and different direction than you had planned, how do you typically respond?
9. How does a Christian develop the ability to follow wherever the Shepherd, the Holy Spirit, is leading? (See Galatians 5:18, 25 for more on being led by the Spirit.)
10. How do you respond when your actions are misunderstood and you are unfairly accused or your character is questioned?
(Continues...)
Excerpted from BOOK OF 2 CORINTHIANSby MAX LUCADO Copyright © 2007 by Thomas Nelson . Excerpted by permission.
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