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2 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 11
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2Cor 11,1-3
· (64j) Paradox Ø
Anomalies Ø Weaknesses of God Ø
Foolishness of God -- These verses go with verses 10-12.
Paul has been building to this chapter since his
first letter to the Corinthians. He is about to reveal the true sign of his
apostleship, giving them attributes that should be present in their apostles,
but before that he speaks to them as their father and they as his children,
premising his thoughts with a request to tolerate him in a little foolishness.
· (123l)
Thy kingdom come Ø Manifestations of faith Ø
Love Ø Spiritual affection Ø
Being in love with the body of Christ Ø
Affection of Christ – Paul said he was jealous of the Corinthians
with a godly jealousy. The Old Testament has said a number of times that God
was jealous of the Israelites whenever they committed idolatry. This godly
jealousy is about His caring for us, and breaking His heart whenever we stray,
knowing it will do us harm, just as it caused tremendous stress on Paul
whenever the Corinthian Church strayed from God. Paul had a vested interest in
the Corinthians too. He put his heart and soul, his flesh and blood into them,
and so did Christ. Whenever he heard the Corinthians having spiritual
problems, it caused him tremendous stress. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that
Paul would bring up marriage in a subject about jealousy. We have all heard
about the jealous husband; not all jealous husbands love their wives, but God
loves us more than we will ever know, and this is the cause of his jealousy.
2Cor 11-1
· (63g) Paradox Ø
Anomalies Ø Sarcasm Ø
Be pretentious Ø Pretending to be stupid
-- This verse goes with verse 4. Paul lets us in on a little more of his sarcasm.
In fact, he is very sarcastic throughout this entire chapter, because the
Corinthians have stopped listening to him, and he was telling them things they
needed to know. He was restating facts about his ministry and his position
with the church, this time with a sarcastic tone.
· (84d) Thy kingdom come Ø
Words of your mouth Ø Boasting Ø
It needs to be said and no one else is saying it Ø
Boasting of my accomplishments in Christ -- This verse goes with verses
5-12
2Cor 11-2,3
· (3e) Responsibility to the Family Ø
Pattern your marriage after Christ and the church
· (24b) Sin Ø
Poverty (Forms of fear) Ø Anxiety Ø
Fear of losing the fruits of your labors
· (43g) Judgment Ø
Satan destroyed Ø Perfect (mature) Ø
Flawless
· (81a) Thy kingdom come Ø
Prayer Ø The priesthood Ø
We are a type of Jesus’ priesthood
· (83j) Thy kingdom come Ø
We have the ministry of intercession Ø Church
prepares itself to meet Jesus
· (104b) Thy kingdom come Ø
Purifying process Ø Purified by circumstances
Ø Purified through dying to sin
· (105a) Thy kingdom come Ø
Pure in heart Ø A pure heart is a genuine
heart
· (149c) Witness Ø
Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Works of the
church bear witness to Jesus Ø Evangelism Ø
Three key messages in evangelism Ø
Righteousness, judgment and self-control
· (169c)
Works of the devil Ø Manifestations of the
devil Ø The world is blind to God Ø
Blinded by Satan’s thoughts Ø Blinded by a
false sense of sight – In the same way that the serpent led Eve
astray when she took her eyes off her husband and listened to the devil,
having become more convinced by him than by Adam, so Paul was afraid (or
jealous) that the Corinthians would walk down that same dark ally. Why was
the message of the devil so persuasive to Eve? It was coming to her first
hand and it was flattering that the serpent would speak directly to her,
whereas the message from God came through Adam. Similarly, there were many
deceivers in Paul’s time that vied for people’s attention and had
ulterior motives and gospels they essentially posted for sale even as they
do today. Paul was very concerned, but who is concerned about the church
today, and to what degree is the modern-day church deceived? Who is
committed like Paul to the spiritual health and welfare of God’s people?
Paul was a watchdog of the early church, and when the original apostles
passed away, there was no one left to care for the church. It was up to the
people themselves to protect the truth from wolves, which was like asking
the fox to guard the henhouse. It took them only 300 years to dress up new
ideas in colorful garments and sell them to the people. That early in church
history was disastrous. There was a real fear of losing the truth to liars,
who morphed the gospel into the Catholic Church.
· (208j)
Salvation Ø The salvation of God Ø
Personal relationship Ø Being married to God Ø
Knowing God – Paul said that he betrothed the
Corinthians to one husband, ‘that to Christ he might present them as a
pure virgin.’ Paul played pastor in a wedding ceremony through his
evangelistic ministry when he came and preached Jesus to them; he was
marrying them to Christ through the message of the gospel.
· (247d) Priorities Ø
God’s priorities Ø God’s interests Ø
Concern Ø Caring about the body of Christ --
These verses go with verses 28&29
2Cor 11-3,4
· (70c) Authority Ø
Church conveys Jesus’ authority Ø Discernment
Ø Test the spirits – There are those who come with a different
gospel whom the apostles have not preached, and they offer a different spirit
whom the apostles have not known, and the Corinthians bear this beautifully.
If the Corinthians believe their message they will pay the price of the truth,
yet they don’t resist them, but let them in like prostitutes, and it
infuriated Paul, who had gone to so much trouble to protect the church and the
truth from corruption, just so the Corinthians can play the harlot with
wolves. The more we believe in lies, the harder it is to believe the truth.
That’s why Paul was very concerned for them; he didn’t want them to begin
believing what was false, knowing how extremely difficult it is to untie the
tentacles of deception from their belief system once it invaded their minds.
Paul associated the gospel we believe with the Spirit that cements it into our
hearts. There is a close relationship between the word of God and the Holy
Spirit, just like there is a close relationship between foreign gospels and
demonic spirits that follow them. There are deceptive spirits that follow
skewed religions and false reasoning, the spirits being different as the ideas
themselves.
· (79b) Thy kingdom come Ø
Renewing your mind Ø Satan will control your
mind if you don’t
· (158a) Works of the devil Ø
Excerpts of the greatest verses of this chapter -- These verses go with
verses 12-15
2Cor 11-3
· (78g) Thy kingdom come Ø
Sincerity Ø Embracing your first love Ø
Simplicity of faith
· (92i) Thy kingdom come Ø
The narrow way Ø What kind of trail is this? Ø
All other paths are crooked
· (100l) Thy kingdom come Ø
Devotion Ø In your ministry to God Ø
Devoted to worshipping God
· (151g) Witness Ø
Validity of the Father Ø New Testament bears
witness of the Old Ø Adam
· (161f) Works of the devil Ø
Essential characteristics Ø Satan’s attitude
determines our direction Ø Wander Ø
Wandering from the commandments of God
· (223c) Kingdom of God Ø
The elusive kingdom of heaven Ø Conceit Ø
Imposing your opinion of self on others Ø
Cliques make people seek your acceptance
2Cor 11-4
· (63g) Paradox Ø
Anomalies Ø Sarcasm Ø
Be pretentious Ø Pretending to be stupid
-- This verse goes with verse 7
· (177e) Works of the devil Ø
The religion of witchcraft Ø False doctrine Ø
Doctrine that tickles your ears -- This verse goes with verses 12-15
2Cor 11,5-13
· (72a) Authority Ø
We are ordained to walk in His authority -- These verses go with verses
23-30
· (73b) Authority Ø
Respect your leaders Ø Those in charge of the
word -- These verses go with verses 23-30. Paul humiliated the Corinthians by use of his
sarcasm, reminding them that he never asked for money or anything else to help
him with his needs. Instead, he went to the Macedonians, who were more mature
than they, and could give him money without drawing the wrong conclusions, such
as, that Paul would use it for his own personal gain, when all the evidence
supported just the opposite. They didn’t trust Paul; instead, they trusted in
wolves, and they listened to demons. For this reason Paul knew if he asked them
for a contribution, they would have taken it wrong, so Paul would not give the
devil opportunity to weaken their faith, even though they were well aware of
Paul’s commitment to the gospel, that this was not a game to him. Paul
believed in the gospel he preached with all his heart, and he didn’t have an
ulterior motive. The thing that angered him most was they should have known
these things; in fact, they did know, but refused to believe it. There was
nothing in Paul’s life that supported their theories about him, and it
infuriated Paul that they would draw these conclusions and spread the slander,
at the same time not serve the Lord themselves.
· (126j) Thy kingdom come Ø
Manifestations of faith Ø Have the patience of God
· (151j) Apostles (The Spirit)
(Key verse)
· (152b) Witness Ø
Validity of the Father Ø Witnesses of the father Ø
Apostles Ø Commitment to the cause proves
apostleship
· (192b) Die to self (Process of substitution) Ø
Result of putting off the old man Ø Gain by
losing Ø Life for life Ø
Losing your life to gain God’s purpose -- These verses go with verses
23-30
2Cor 11,5-12
· (84d) Thy kingdom come Ø
Words of your mouth Ø Boasting Ø
It needs to be said and no one else is saying it Ø
Boasting of my accomplishments in Christ -- These verses go with verse
1
2Cor 11-5
· (121l) Thy kingdom come Ø
Manifestations of faith Ø Confidence Ø
Confidence in God Ø Confidence in God as you
fulfill your ministry
2Cor 11-6
· (80j) Thy kingdom come Ø
Know the word to minister to people Ø To edify
one another – Paul claimed to be unskilled in speech, yet
he was an evangelist. Did he go around evangelizing people with a clumsy
tongue? Compared to others who were highly skilled in speech, compared to the
prowling wolves of his day, perhaps he was a little clumsy in speech, but he
had a heart for God that most people with a skilled tongue do not have. Moses
complained to God that he was unskilled in speech, and what did God tell him?
“Go, and I will help you speak and will teach you what to say” Ex 4:12.
However, Moses declined the offer and God rose up Aaron to be his spokesman,
though in most cases Moses did the talking anyway. Paul may have been
unskilled in speech, but it never was an issue with him. Being a good speaker
should not determine who holds such positions in the church; what matters is
your knowledge base, whether you have anything to say, which was one of
Paul’s strong points, hence one reason God chose him as an apostle. This is
the difference between gifted and talented people. You will rarely meet a
gifted wolf; rather, they are highly talented in the area of speech. The
difference between a wolf and a true man of God is that God’s man is always
well versed in the Scriptures, whereas the wolf is well versed in the ways of
the world. Show me a man who is fluent in his speech and I will show you a man
who can’t be trusted. Again, show me a man behind the pulpit who is not well
in his verses, and I will show you a man who has at least one trait of a
deceiver. Most preachers who are not well versed in the Scriptures are fast
talkers and have ulterior motives for being a pastor.
· (156h) Witness Ø
Validity of the believer Ø Evidence of
salvation Ø Understanding wisdom is evidence of
salvation
· (250a) Priorities Ø
God’s prerequisites Ø Sequence of priorities Ø
In all things ... Ø Glorify God in all things
2Cor 11,7-15
· (64i) Paradox Ø
Anomalies Ø Weaknesses of God Ø
God subjects himself to human frailty Ø His
weakness makes Him small compared to men -- These verses go with verses
23-30
2Cor 11,7-13
· (11k) Servant Ø
Paul’s example of God’s standard – Paul devoted his life
as a model Christian for the church. He rarely asked
anything from anyone, though he was usually in a state of dire poverty. He
gave what people needed and asked nothing in return, so as not to provide an
opportunity for anyone to consider him a shyster, as he put it,
"so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel" 1Cor 9-18.
Paul’s hope is that the church would follow his example and live according
to the word of God and according to their conscience as Christ would impress
it on them.
· (62a) Paradox Ø
Anomalies Ø Responding cleverly to your
enemies Ø Outwit them
2Cor 11,7-12
· (63d) Paradox Ø
Anomalies Ø Righteous deception Ø
Church deceive each other
· (101a) Thy kingdom come Ø
Devotion Ø In your ministry to people Ø
Devoted to ministering to their spiritual needs
· (234h) Kingdom of God Ø
Pursuing the kingdom Ø Invest in the kingdom Ø
Sold out Ø Placing no boundaries on your
commitment to God Ø Going to any extreme to
fulfill the will of God -- These verses go with verses 23-30
2Cor 11,7-9
· (2j) Being responsible to avoid offending God Ø
get out of His way Ø do not touch the apple of
His eye Ø take advantage of no one
· (14n) Servant Ø
Ministry of helps takes the last place as a better service to you
· (72l) Hierarchy of authority Ø
Authority makes you accountable Ø Parents are
accountable for their children
· (96c) Thy kingdom come Ø
Positive attitude toward God Ø Good attitude
about the word of God
· (235c) Kingdom of God Ø
Pursuing the kingdom Ø Invest in the kingdom Ø
Tithing Ø Be faithful in your tithes Ø
If you are unfaithful to God, you won’t tithe
2Cor 11-7,8
· (57c) Paradox Ø
Opposites Ø Humble yourself and God will exalt
your brother
2Cor 11-7
· (23d) Sin Ø
Pride wants to be first
· (63g) Paradox Ø
Anomalies Ø Sarcasm Ø
Be pretentious Ø Pretending to be stupid –
This verse goes with verses 19-21
· (77n) Thy kingdom come Ø
God Ministers To People Through The Humble Ø
Humility gives a blessing
2Cor 11-8,9
· (13h) Servant Ø
Support the body Ø Serve selflessly
– Paul was working with a very undisciplined, needy, and immature church
that could not deal with much stress without threatening the semblance of
harmony they had. He could not ask anything from them, but was forced to
pour what little recourses he had received from other churches into them,
sometimes even taking from his personal supplies to meet their needs. These
were babes in Christ, though they had been introduced to the faith years
ago; they just had not been growing. Corinth was a city plagued with
carnality, people who would travel long distances just for the opportunity
to practice their filthy lifestyles in this city. Their philosophies and
life-practices influenced the church and kept them from growing in the faith
like other churches of their time. This should sound familiar to you, since
the American church is trying to grow in the midst of debauchery just like
the Corinthians. It seems that something is holding us back; it’s the sin
all around us and in us from the practices of our "fellow
Americans," who do not share our faith.
2Cor 11-8
· (63e) Paradox Ø
Anomalies Ø Sarcasm Ø
Exaggerate the truth to make a point
2Cor 11,10-15
· (7b) Responsibility Ø
Protecting the Gospel Ø Defend the word of God
by obeying it –
In verse 12 Paul explains one of the reasons he works
so hard at preaching the gospel. Verse 9 indicates that he makes a concerted
effort to keep from being a burden to the church. He was an itinerate
(traveling) worker, a tent maker by trade. He did not indulge himself in the
church’s tithe, but made his living by working with his own hands (with only
occasional help from the church). Paul worked hard at the gospel because he
was creating a standard for those who would attempt to imitate his ministry as
false apostles in order to get a free ride, popularity and authority at the
expense of the church. The way he conducted his ministry made a statement: ‘If
you want to be a false apostle, this is the way you have to live in order to
conceal your identity, because this is what the people have grown to expect
from their apostles.’ To the average lazy wolf, it would be too much trouble
for what it was worth. By taking the glamour out of the ministry, it was Paul’s
way of helping the would-be wolf to consider better exploits.
· (9c) Responsible to prevent disunity within
the body of Christ
· (172c) Works of the devil Ø
Manifestations of the devil Ø Tares among the
wheat Ø Devils among the saints Ø
Wolves among the sheep
2Cor 11,10-12
· (64j) Paradox Ø
Anomalies Ø Weaknesses of God Ø
Foolishness of God -- These verses go with verses 1-3
2Cor 11,12-15
· (54n) Paradox Ø
Opposites Ø Seal of apostleship exceeds the
commitment of the false apostle – There were those who claimed to be apostles,
and brought ulterior gospels and preached alternate truths, and the
Corinthians bought into some of their messages. Meanwhile these false apostles
were strongly averse to suffering for the cause of money, which Paul then used
as a dividing line between true apostles and false apostles. Wolves are not
going to be beaten or whipped or imprisoned for the opportunity to deceive the
Corinthians. Wolves will get a real job before it comes to blows, but Paul had
evidence for being a true apostle; he had been beaten many times, and he is
still preaching the gospel, proving he was doing this because he believed it.
· (112e) Thy kingdom come Ø
Light Ø Jesus light in us overcomes darkness Ø
The light of His truth
· (158a) Works of the devil Ø
Excerpts of the greatest verses of this chapter -- These verses go with
verses 3&4
· (169i) Works of the devil Ø
Manifestations of the devil Ø Seeking the glory
of man Ø Loving the approval of men rather than
the approval of God Ø Coveting the favor of men
· (177e) Works of the devil Ø
The religion of witchcraft Ø False doctrine Ø
Doctrine that tickles your ears -- These verses go with verse 4
· (179j) Works of the devil Ø
Practicing witchcraft Ø Wolves Ø
Unworthy servant Ø Unworthy of eternal life
· (180c) Works of the devil Ø
Practicing witchcraft Ø Wolves Ø
Be shrewd as wolves and more innocent than they appear Ø
Fighting off wolves with a clever innocence – Wolves pretend to be servants of
righteousness, but are really servants of Satan disguising themselves as
messengers of light. How do you pretend to be righteous? Don’t you have to
do righteousness in order to give the appearance of caring? In fact, it is not
that hard, and for this reason Paul did not use righteousness as his seal of
apostleship. Instead, he used suffering. The Jews followed him around looking
for reasons to incarcerate him, to beat him and whip him and stone him for
proclaiming the gospel of Christ. The Jews were therefore his thorn in the
flesh, and he also used them as his seal of apostleship, for no one would go
through the torture that Paul did at the hands of the Jews unless they truly
believed in Jesus, which wolves do not.
· (184b) Works of the devil Ø
The origin of lawlessness Ø Darkness Ø
Hiding behind your own imagination Ø Hiding
behind a false authority
· (197b) Denying Christ Ø
Man exercises his will against God Ø Spiritual
laziness Ø Rebelling Against what God wants you
to do Ø Refusing to take on responsibility
· (198i) Denying Christ Ø
Man exercises his will against God Ø Ordained
by man Ø Ministries ordained by men will falter
· (221j) Kingdom of God Ø
The elusive kingdom of heaven Ø Kingdom hidden
behind the veil from the world Ø God hides from
sin Ø He hides behind disobedience
2Cor 11-12,13
· (69i) Authority Ø
Righteous judgment Ø Judging the flesh by the
Spirit
2Cor 11,13-15
· (16a) The sin nature is instinctively evil Ø
Man’s flesh is related to the devil – It is unfortunate that you
find some of the most sinful people hiding in the church. What is worse than using the essence of good to
cloak evil? Only by comparison are they more evil than those outside
the church. The result of their work is insuperable. Keep in mind that the
church acts as the world’s parameters for conduct. After the church’s morals have eroded,
who
will keep the world in check?
· (76g) Thy kingdom come Ø
Wicked motives Ø Satan’s motives are
inherent within him
· (163k) Works of the devil Ø
Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) Ø
Entertaining demons Ø Disciplined by the
devil as a son
· (196b) Denying Christ Ø
Man exercises his will against God Ø Idolatry
Ø Worshipping the devil
2Cor 11-14,15
· (48d) God judges the world Ø
Satan is under God’s eternal judgment
· (48e) Levels of judgment Ø
Judged according to your deeds Ø In the day of
judgment
2Cor 11,16-30
· (84e)
Thy kingdom come Ø Words of your mouth Ø
Boasting Ø It needs to be said and no one else
is saying it Ø boasting of my weaknesses – The Corinthians forced Paul to boast about
himself, but he never bragged about his accomplishments, but about his
weakness. He could have mentioned how many people were healed at his touch or
the many miracles that God performed through his ministry of some of the signs
he performed through the power of God that proved his apostleship. Instead, he
bragged about his suffering. It is our weaknesses that should make us proud,
the things we have been able to endure. These are the things that prove our
identity more than our greatest accomplishments. Our strengths, what are they
but talents that we were born with, but our weaknesses, these are the things
that God uses to create avenues for our gifts.
2Cor 11,17-21
· (96o) Thy kingdom come Ø
Having a negative attitude about sin Ø Having
an abusive attitude
2Cor 11-17,18
· (54o) Paradox Ø
Opposites Ø Boasting in the flesh to glorify
God
· (122f) Thy kingdom come Ø
Manifestations of faith Ø Confidence in
yourself as you die to sin Ø Confident in what
you are doing
2Cor 11,19-21
· (63g) Paradox Ø
Anomalies Ø Sarcasm Ø
Be pretentious Ø Pretending to be stupid
-- These verses go with verse 1. Paul again picks up his sarcasm to point out that
the Corinthians gladly tolerate the bondage of foolish men if anyone devours
their savings. Paul sarcastically says that the abuse the apostles have
received from the Jews, being whipped and beaten countless times, they
didn’t like it, yet the Corinthians are happy to be abused by these wolves,
and says in his sarcasm, “To our shame we have been weak by comparison” in
putting up with abuse, being more easily offended than the Corinthians.
· (159b) Works of the devil Ø
Essential characteristics Ø Counterfeit Ø
Counterfeit godliness Ø Love sickening sweet Ø
The kind of love that replaces wisdom
· (163a) Works of the devil Ø
Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) Ø
Bondage Ø Being slaves of men Ø
In bondage to peoples’ expectations of you – The Corinthians needed to stop putting up
with these wolves and stand up for themselves for the sake of the truth.
Meanwhile, Paul had to walk on eggshells in effort not to offend them. He
didn’t have enough liberty with them to ask for a nickel without receiving
accusations of ulterior motives. They accept harsh treatment from wolves, but
for Paul they have nothing but arguments and contempt. He preaches a gospel of
spiritual freedom, but wolves come and enslave them with their gospel of
fleshly liberty, and the Corinthians bear with them beautifully. What is going
on with these Corinthians? They sound very much like American Christianity.
Their discernment is absent, because wolves have effectively stolen the Holy
Spirit from the church through centuries of false doctrine. They have gutted
out the very essence of the gospel and left them with nothing but words and
doctrines and beliefs, and American Christianity bears with this beautifully.
When those with a remnant of the Spirit come and preach a more accurate
version of the truth, they slam the door in their faces and want none of it.
2Cor 11-22
· (148d) Witness Ø
Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Works of the church
bear witness to Jesus Ø Evangelism Ø
Natural advantage as an evangelist regarding the flesh – Paul was a Jew, a Hebrew of Hebrews. Jesus
was a Hebrew, so were all the early apostles, so they will be at the end of
the age, all 144,000 of them. It seems a requirement to be Hebrew in order to
be one of God’s apostles. It is Israel who is ultimately in charge of
God’s covenant of eternal salvation. Although they have rejected their
purpose, it is the reason the gentile church is faltering; they have no Jewish
leadership. You can’t get one church to fellowship with another; they’re
all at odds with each other because they all believe different things; they
don’t know what is true; they all have their own interpretation of
Scripture, because they don’t have any Jewish leadership. The Jewish
ministry of leadership is coming back in the last days. The gentile church
will unite as one, even more so than the early church through these 144,000
Jews, who will have the same level of commitment that Paul had, and they will
have the same thorn in the flesh that Paul had, his fellow unbelieving
Jew.
2Cor 11,23-31
· (152a) Witness Ø
Validity of the Father Ø Witnesses of the
father Ø Apostles Ø
Enduring hardship proves apostleship – The context is the false apostles. Paul’s
physical credentials as an apostle were the scars on his back. He is comparing
himself to false apostles; he labored far more than the false apostles; he
experienced far more imprisonments, far more beatings. Five times he received
from the Jews 39 lashes. There is not a wolf in the world who would risk that
level of ill-treatment. One beating would talk them right out of their faith;
two beatings would prove their sincerity. If two beatings proved his
sincerity, how sincere was Paul after five rounds of 39 lashes? A wolf would
not continue deceiving the church if it cost him his hide. This was Paul’s
seal of apostleship. No false apostle or wolf would go through this, ever.
It’s not worth it to them; the cost is far too high. A person would have to
believe with all his heart before he would go through that much pain. Paul
didn’t just have a few rocks throne at him; he was stoned to death, and as
the brethren stood around him, God raised him up and they went to another
village and preached the gospel there (Act 14-19,20).
2Cor 11,23-30
· (5f) Responsibility Ø
Discipleship tested Ø God tests your faith
through hardship
· (11n) Servant Ø
Paul’s example of devotion – Paul was boasting of himself a little
here, but he had reason to boast. He was setting a standard for apostleship.
If a false apostle were to come along and attempt to seize the church, the
people could say, 'Paul went through all these terrible ordeals to bring
us the gospel, but you just seem to be concerned about your own comfort.'
· (12f) Servant Ø
Essential characteristics of a bond servant
· (64i) Paradox Ø
Anomalies Ø Weaknesses of God Ø
God subjects himself to human frailty Ø His
weakness makes Him small compared to men -- These verses go with verses
7-15
· (72a) Authority Ø
We are ordained to walk in His authority -- These verses go with verses
5-13
· (73b) Authority Ø
Respect your leaders Ø Those in charge of the
word -- These verses go with verses 5-13
· (100j) Thy kingdom come Ø
Devotion Ø In your ministry to God Ø
Fulfill God’s calling in your life
· (192b) Die to self (Process of substitution) Ø
Result of putting off the old man Ø Gain by
losing Ø Life for life Ø
Losing your life to gain God’s purpose -- These verses go with verses
5-13
· (234h) Kingdom of God Ø
Pursuing the kingdom Ø Invest in the kingdom Ø
Sold out Ø Placing no boundaries on your
commitment to God Ø Going to any extreme to
fulfill the will of God -- These verses go with verses 7-12
2Cor 11,23-29
· (14f) Servant Ø
Ministry of helps Ø Helpers obey Christ
2Cor 11,23-26
· (242k) Kingdom of God Ø
Opposition toward the kingdom of God Ø
Persecuting the kingdom Ø Reacting to
persecution Ø Enduring persecution
2Cor 11-23
· (101h) Thy kingdom come Ø
Ambition Ø Be an ambitious businessman for God Ø
Managing God’s business – This verse goes with verse 27
2Cor 11-26,27
· (165g) Hardship
(Key verse)
· (165j) Works of the devil Ø
Manifestations of the devil Ø Hardship Ø
Troubles of this life
2Cor 11-26
· (159c) Works of the devil Ø
Essential characteristics Ø Counterfeit Ø
Counterfeit godliness Ø Counterfeit Christian
· (172a) Works of the devil Ø
Manifestations of the devil Ø Tares among the
wheat Ø Devils among the saints Ø
False brethren among the people of God
· (180d) Works of the devil Ø
Practicing witchcraft Ø Wolves Ø
Be shrewd as wolves and more innocent than they appear Ø
Wolves in sheep’s clothing
2Cor 11-27
· (101h) Thy kingdom come Ø
Ambition Ø Be an ambitious businessman for God Ø
Managing God’s business – This verse goes with verse 23
2Cor 11-28,29
· (5m) Responsibility Ø
Jesus’ yoke of obedience Ø Our obligation to
shepherd the flock
· (69c) Church conveys Jesus’ authority Ø
Discernment Ø Feeling the body’s infirmities
· (70b) Authority Ø
Discernment Ø Sensitivity To The Spirit
· (123c) Thy kingdom come Ø
Manifestations of faith Ø Love Ø
Spiritual affection Ø Compassion Ø
Compassion is the emotion of the Spirit
· (130e) Thy kingdom come Ø
Manifestations of faith Ø Unity Ø
Committed to caring for the needs of the body Ø
Committed to holding up one another
· (216g) Sovereignty Ø
God overrides the will of man Ø God’s will over
man Ø Compelled by the Spirit Ø
God forces us by His love
· (247c) Concern
(Key verse)
· (247d) Priorities Ø
God’s priorities Ø God’s interests Ø
Concern Ø Caring about the body of Christ --
These verses go with verses 2&3. Paul told the Corinthians that after enduring so
much persecution, they added to his suffering by not serving the Lord, causing
him mental anguish. He was afraid they were going to cause all his efforts to be
in vain. It incensed him that the Corinthians were so willing to receive the
false apostles. After going through so much punishment Paul wanted to enjoy the
fruit of his labors, to see the church flourish, happily serving the Lord. Even
John the Baptist became concerned that he sacrificed his life for nothing. He
sat on the floor of a dungeon wondering if Jesus was indeed the Christ. He spent
his whole life preparing for ministry and it lasted less than a year. He
prepared the way for the Lord, and later when he was imprisoned, before he was
executed he asked his friends to make sure Jesus was the Christ. John began to
doubt. Jesus told his friends to send back the message to John and say, ‘who
else can raise the dead, give sight to the blind and open deaf ears?’ After
receiving the message John died content that his life had purpose. Paul was
going through the same turmoil with the Corinthians, who were threatening to
take away his purpose by going AWOL in their faith. It was extremely important
that the Corinthians remained faithful to Christ, both for Jesus’ sake and for
his own sake. Having been called by God to preach the gospel and then was
punished for it times without number, had no one ever gotten saved, what would
be the point? However, remember this, that whatever God tells you to do will
bear fruit. This is why it is important to be faithful, and if you give up, God
will say you never tried. God’s calling extends to the end of your life. What
good can you do with your life if you don’t serve the Lord? Paul sacrificed
his life to serve the church of God; he was scarred from top to bottom by all
the whippings and beating he received. He spent years in prison writing the
epistles. He by no means had an easy life, but it was fulfilling. So long as
there was fruit Paul was happy.
2Cor 11-29,30
· (160e) Works of the devil Ø
Essential characteristics Ø Satan’s attitude
determines our direction Ø Led by the devil Ø
Led by the devil into sin
2Cor 11-29
· (161e) Works of the devil Ø
Essential characteristics Ø Satan’s attitude
determines our direction Ø Wander Ø
Following the wrong leader
2Cor 11-30
· (53m) Paradox Ø
Opposites Ø God is made strong in our weakness
2Cor 11-31
· (78b) Thy kingdom come Ø
Sincerity of heart Ø Being honest Ø
Telling the truth
· (155h) Witness Ø
Validity of the believer Ø Witness of the
believer Ø The Father bears witness of the
believer
2Cor 11-32,33 -- No Entries
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