2 Corinthians 2:12-17

                                                                     2 Corinthians 2:12-17

When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there.  So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.  But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.  For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?  For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.

As believers in the Lord Jesus, we are called to preach the Gospel.  The message that saved us is to be proclaimed to people everywhere.  This is a great privilege and responsibility and should be seen as such.  As Paul relates his experience as a preacher of the Gospel, we gain an understanding of what this mission entails and requires.

 

PREACHING THE GOSPEL MUST BE WITH CONVICTION: Paul felt that he had and open door to preach the Gospel in Troas.  However, because Titus was not there as apparently was expected, Paul determined he should go to Macedonia.  We do not know what all was expected about the role of Titus in Paul’s preaching in Troas, but it was a factor important enough for Paul to pass us the open door there.  Had Paul gone ahead with the preaching in Troas, it would have been without rest in his heart.  Apparently, Paul thought that his preaching would have been affected enough by the situation that he could not preach the Gospel with the conviction required.  The Gospel is such an important message that it must be preached with conviction.  

 

PREACHING THE GOSPEL MUST BE CENTERED ON CHRIST: The Gospel is the message of Christ.  He is the one who is leading us in the advancement of the Gospel, and He is the reason for the preaching of the Gospel.  We preach so that the knowledge of Christ might be known and spread throughout the nations.  Preaching Christ is not always going to be popular or well received.  For some who hear the Gospel, it imparts life to them because it leads them to faith and repentance.  For others, the Gospel is repugnant, and they reject the truth only causing their condemnation to be more severe.  When armies would return from battle there would be a parade where the victorious solders would parch down the street with the prisoners of war in tow.  Priests would join the procession burning incense as part of the victory celebration.  The smell of that incense was associated with victory for the soldiers but for the prisoners, it was associated with the death and defeat.  The preaching of Christ will bring about justification for some but only confirm the condemnation of others.  No matter what the response, out task is to preach Christ.

 

PREACHING THE GOSPEL MUST BE COMMISSIONED BY GOD: There are some people who preach the Gospel as “peddlers” of God’s Word.  That is they use the preaching of the Gospel as a means of personal gain and are willing to compromise the truth in order to gain popularity and a following that they would like to establish.  Paul makes it clear that he and his companions know none of this kind of false teaching.  They have been commissioned by God to preach the Gospel and they are motivated by the glory of God and the salvation of the lost and not for personal gain.  It is a solemn responsibility to proclaim Christ and it should be done by God’s people and for God’s glory.

 

APPLICATION: Understand that not every open door represents a requirement for accepting a responsibility. When we preach the Gospel, it should be done with conviction, assurance, and sincerity.  No matter how people respond to the message of the Gospel, we must continue to preach Christ alone.  Understand that we are authorized by God to preach the Gospel of Christ, however, we must do it for His glory and not our own personal pride or gain.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than any of the other people of his
Read more

1 Timothy 2:11-15

Let a woman learn quietly   with all submissiveness.    I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.    For Adam was formed first,   then Eve;   and Adam was not deceived, but   the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.    Yet she will be saved through   childbearing—if they continue in   faith and love and holiness, with self-control. There is certainly controversy and confusion about this passage in many churches today.  The idea of a distinction between men and women and their roles in the family and church certainly goes against the flow of many cultures around the world.  Some would argue that the literal and plain teaching of this passage is no longer applicable to today’s culture.  However, it is always dangerous to discard biblical teaching or try to interpret Scripture based on the cultures in which we live.  Certainly, the Spirit who inspired this text was aware of the many changes that would occur in future cul
Read more

1 Timothy 1:1-2

Paul,   an apostle of Christ Jesus   by command of   God our Savior and of Christ Jesus   our hope, To Timothy,   my true child in the faith:   Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. The true sign of maturity is multiplication.  Believers, churches, and ministries that do not reproduce are not demonstrating true maturity.  One of the key characteristics we can identify in Paul’s ministry is that he was constantly reproducing godly believers who were faithfully following the Lord.  Evangelism, discipleship, and leadership training are the hallmarks of mature ministers and ministries.   THE APOSTLE: Paul was called by God to be an Apostle.  Though Paul converted after the resurrection and assentation of Jesus, he met Jesus in the road to Damascus and was instructed by Jesus in the desert.  Paul considered himself to be the least of the Apostles because he persecuted the church and did not walk with Jesus on earth like the other Apostles.  However, God had
Read more