Psalm 138:1-8 • 1 Samuel 8:4-11, (12-15), 16-20, (11:14-15) • 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 • Mark 3:20-35

This week’s theme is Words of faith. The call to worship Psalm reminds us of many reasons to have faith in God. Samuel shares Israel’s request for a king and how Israel wanted to put their faith in a king, rather than in God. 2 Corinthians has Paul linking faith and speaking during times of trouble. The Gospel text from Mark has Jesus’ family trying to restrain Jesus because of the words they hear from his opponents.

Speaking of Faith

2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1

Do you ever feel pressed on every side, perplexed, persecuted and struck down? If so, you will be in good company with the author of our passage for today’s sermon. The apostle Paul’s life certainly doesn’t make him a poster boy for any “health and wealth” gospel. Paul is no stranger to pain and misery. Throughout this second letter of Corinthians, we find accounts of Paul experiencing all kinds of afflictions from beatings, shipwrecks and other near-death situations. But Paul seems to take all of this as par for the course in a life of faith. That’s why he can identify with being pressed on every side, perplexed, persecuted and struck down. In fact, this is the list he makes just prior to our text we have today. Only he doesn’t list these afflictions alone. He adds to each one a “but not” statement: “pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Cor. 4:8-9). The eyes of faith do not blind us to suffering but enlighten us to see that suffering doesn’t get the last word. For Paul, and all who live a life of faith, all afflictions can be acknowledged with a “but not” attitude.

 

With this “but not” attitude Paul begins our section of 2 Corinthians with, “It is written.” Paul does not attempt to speak about suffering and affliction apart from what is written in the Scriptures. We will do well to follow suit. Our sufferings can often speak so loudly that we get confused and lost in the noise. When we are struggling with being “pressed on every side,” we can read what is written to help us not be crushed. If we are “perplexed,” God’s word speaks a wisdom that keeps us from falling into despair. Are you being persecuted? God’s word speaks to us personally with the reminder that we are not abandoned. And if you are struck down, there are plenty of accounts of renewal and resurrection to remind you that you will not be destroyed.

Now let’s look at what Paul wants us to hear from what “is written”:

“I believed; therefore I have spoken.” (2 Corinthians 4:13)

This is a quote from Psalm 116:10. The rest of verse ten adds, “but I was greatly afflicted.” Psalm 116 is part of a section of psalms known as the Hallel psalms. These psalms depict the righteous who suffer but who rely on God as they cry out to him in their affliction. Faith, even during times of great affliction, enables us to speak to God and to speak to others about God. Paul has been having to defend his calling and authenticity as an apostle and therefore his calling to proclaim the gospel. In the culture of Corinth—as well as in our culture today—suffering and affliction would not be considered as evidence of someone worth following or listening to. Paul is referring to this psalm to establish that his speaking the gospel flows out of the same faith those of the psalms were speaking from. In other words, it is not “success” and culturally approved status that enables one to preach the gospel. It is faith in the one who is faithful and has called us to speak. In fact, speaking about the goodness of God and his faithfulness to us while we are in a trial is a huge testimony that God can be trusted. It’s one thing to praise God when things are good, but quite another to praise him when pressed, perplexed, persecuted and struck down.

Paul continues:

Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. (2 Corinthians 4:13-14)

Paul here finds solidarity with the psalmist as having the “same spirit of faith.” Notice he is not pointing to his own faith as qualifying him to speak. Faith itself is from the Spirit just as it was for the psalmists. Paul, the psalmists, and you and I are participants in that same faith. We may ask, then, whose faith are we talking about? Whose faith are we participating in? That would be the faith of Christ. Only Jesus had perfect faith in the Father, trusting him completely even as he suffered death on a cross.

This is the “same spirit of faith” given to the psalmist, to Paul and to you and me to participate in. We do not, indeed cannot, produce our own faith. It is a gift of the Spirit. And notice the connection of belief with speaking. Speaking the gospel is possible only because of this belief that comes as a gift from God in Jesus Christ. So, proclaiming the gospel is grounded in the faith of Christ, not in one’s own success or superiority. This kind of “faithful” proclamation does not point to one’s own faith or an attempt to work up faith. Rather, it speaks of the one who is faithful, Jesus.

In this faith, Paul also finds solidarity with the Lord Jesus and with other believers. Notice how his language is very communal. He uses “we” instead of just “I” as he writes. The solidarity he finds with Jesus, that includes others, is in the resurrection. Because we know that the Father will raise us up in Jesus’ own resurrection, our tongues are loosed to speak, even when life looks like it is on the brink of death. Paul mentions how this will benefit us, namely that grace will spread, resulting in thanksgiving to God. Thanksgiving is a form of speaking; faith and speaking are connected.

All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 4:15)

The benefit Paul is speaking of here is our access to the Father through the faith of Jesus. It’s a reversal of the fall of humanity (Genesis 3). Jesus’ gift of forgiveness through his death, and his gift of life through the resurrection, enables us to be in personal and intimate relationship with the Father. This is something glorious to be thankful for. This is not just good news for some future time when we will talk with God face to face, but it is good news for us right now in the present day. That is true even when we find ourselves pressed, perplexed, persecuted and struck down. Even during our times of great sorrow and suffering we can still speak to the Father in faith, knowing that he hears us and will answer. We can also speak to others about this God in whom we trust. Our circumstances do not deceive us into thinking the Father is not trustworthy.

Because of this Paul can boldly say, “Therefore we do not lose heart.” For Paul, that is not just trying to put spin on a bad situation. He’s not saying just grin and bear it or offering some trite, pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps comment. He has a real and solid reason to not lose heart—the reality of what God has done in Jesus Christ for the sake of the world. Because of this Paul wants us to know that we will look at our sufferings very differently. He uses comparative language to make his point:

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

Paul is not making some dualistic statement here that discards our bodily existence in favor of some ethereal “spiritual” existence. Paul knows and teaches the real hope of a bodily resurrection. What Paul is doing is contrasting that which is temporary with that which is permanent. This is clear with our last verse for the day:

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. (2 Corinthians 5:1)

The faithfulness of God frees us to not put our faith in things that do not last. They are only “earthly tents” made for temporary purposes. This is a word of encouragement where we do not lose heart as we experience suffering. Compared to the eternal and weighty reality God is building in us, we can see our troubles as “light and momentary.” I don’t know how often our troubles feel “light and momentary” when we are in them, but that is indeed what they are, especially compared to what God will complete in us. When we “fix our eyes” on this reality then we will be free to speak in a way that brings glory to God in our troubles. Imagine how little weight we will place on things and circumstances that would normally weigh us down. Whether it be our bodies and health, our homes and finances, our cities and our nations or anything else that is temporary, we can hold onto them lightly. When they become hardships of the kind Paul is listing, they cease to have any power over us that can keep us from speaking to God or about God. We will still be free to call out to God knowing he is faithful and good to us and we will be free to speak to others about the gospel that has set us free.

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Small Group Discussion Questions

Psalm 20:1-9 • 1 Samuel 15:34 – 16:13 • 2 Corinthians 5:6-17 • Mark 4:26-34

The theme this week is God doesn’t play by our rules. The call to worship Psalm tells of trusting in the Lord rather than chariots and horses that the other countries trusted. In 1 Samuel 15-16, the prophet goes on a secret mission to choose Saul’s replacement. The Lord who looks on the heart has him skip over every likely candidate, finally settling on the youngest brother, David. Mark shares two parables that remind us that God has things under control and doesn’t need our help. Our sermon looks at 2 Corinthians 5. In this intensely personal letter, Paul appeals to a community that has been distracted by flashy teachers to tell them that image fades, and God’s kingdom is upside down.

Image Isn’t Everything

2 Corinthians 5:6-17

Read 2 Corinthians 5:6-17.

Some of you may remember the 1990s tennis pro, Andre Agassi. He is celebrated as possibly the best tennis player who ever lived and was in so many advertisements back then his face was recognized throughout the world.

One of his more memorable ads was for Canon, the camera brand. After a few action shots of him swinging his long hair and smiling at you, he pulls down his shades and says, “Image…is everything.” The simple tagline was imminently memorable, and most of us are surprised to learn that those ads are 30 years old!

Years later, in one of those odd twists of fate that only celebrities have, Agassi admitted that his trademark long hair was a hairpiece! The hair which had established him as a bad boy icon in the button-up world of tennis was fake the whole time. The image that was “truly everything” turned out to be false. In his autobiography, Agassi also revealed a life troubled by strained celebrity relationships and drug use and overshadowed by an abusive childhood. Under the image, the reality wasn’t quite so pretty.

Paul dealt with some similar issues in the circumstances and conversation surrounding believers in Corinth. One of the major themes Paul discussed was the Corinthian community’s infatuation with sleek, wealthy new teachers who had come their way. Distracted by these interlopers, the believers had become ashamed of Paul, who was not concerned with image, and they were enamored with the polished presentation and prestige associated with this new group.

In his typical style, Paul addresses this head-on in this letter. Specifically, in this passage, he addresses a fixation with earthly image and prowess as a distraction from the deeper reality of knowing Christ. He casts this not in simply moralistic terms (“don’t focus on your looks”), but in metaphysical terms (“this image is not our final image”).

Let’s look at Paul’s response to one of his most difficult and also most beloved communities. We’ll break it down into three I’s:

• Image
• Inversion
• Inclusive

Image

We’ve already talked about Andre Agassi’s somewhat humorous story of image that wasn’t quite everything. Have you ever had a moment when you got fixated on your image and presentation and found out, quite suddenly, that it wasn’t “everything”?

Share a story of a time you found out your image wasn’t important. The funnier the better. One good place to look is former styles that now look pretty silly – bellbottoms, Bugle Boy jeans, embarrassing hair styles. We all have these stories!

As we mentioned, the church in Corinth had become enamored with some new teachers, who Paul later jokingly calls “super apostles.” They come with the looks and slick delivery that Paul openly admits he doesn’t have to offer, and they are distracting the Corinthian church from the transformation of their hearts and minds through the gospel.

Corinth was a cosmopolitan city to say the least. One of the interesting features of the area in the ancient world was a short road called the “Diolkos” (pronounced dee-ol-kose). Instead of navigating the treacherous waters around the south of Greece, sailors stopped their boats near Corinth, put them on wheels, and were pulled across this ancient road from one harbor to another. The going was treacherous, but it was better than the much longer trip around the southern horn.

This feature and the placement of Corinth made it a stop for travelers and traders throughout the ancient world. This meant the culture, the religions, the languages and the bad habits of these different people groups often found a home in Corinth. The resulting culture was complex, hedonistic, and—you guessed it—image-conscious.

The word “Corinthian,” when applied to a woman in the ancient world, meant she was promiscuous and reckless. Their culture in general, along with religious practices that involved fertility and virility, was marked by sexual brokenness. The image-consciousness that goes along with an over-sensualized society was no doubt burdening the souls of these people.

One top of that, Corinth was a relatively young culture. The city had recently been re-established after laying in ruins for a century. Many of the Corinthians were transplants and didn’t have a long heritage. Many were also wealthy because of the constant trade. All this added up to people searching for identity—following the latest new teachers or the new perspectives that (sometimes literally) rolled into town, trying on worldviews like clothes.

Into this walks Paul. He comes to them with scars to show for his determination to go against the culture, and he questions their fixation with image.

“For we live by faith, not by sight,” Paul says in verse 7, pointing them toward the coordinates they’re supposed to live by as children of God. They aren’t to be distracted by every pretty face that comes along, by every boat that rolls by on the Diolkos. They are to hold to the truth of the gospel and see through the fog of trendy philosophies and fashionable beliefs.

Through his letters to the believers in Corinth, Paul has asked them not to just add Jesus to their crowded shelf of gods, which was the practice in the ancient world, but to clear the shelf entirely. He asks them to hold to a reality that’s more coherent and permanent than the latest fad. “We make it our goal to please him…”

Our modern world is very similar to Corinth in some ways, and very different in others. Historically, most people would not know many outside their immediate circle. The digital superhighway of the internet exposes us to different cultures and points of view in a few seconds. And, like Corinth (and perhaps even more so), we are image-conscious and entertainment-saturated; new trends are available every time we go online.

Dissimilarly, the Corinthians often added new gods to their belief system, according to who was coming through town. They looked, or at least glanced, toward figuring out why we are here and what powers are at work in the universe. Their world was fairly cynical toward any one belief system, wondering if it was all completely out of reach, or even relevant. It is much the same today.

In a sense, like in Corinth, in the modern world, all we have left is image.

Paul’s message here stands in stark contrast. Those who are distracting the Corinthians with new presentations, even though they claim to be Christian teachers, have the gospel upside down. They are “those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart” (v. 12), and they aren’t living in the freedom from image-addiction that pervades Corinth and our world today.

Inversion

Christian author Thomas Merton, a monk whose books made millions and who lived in one room in a cabin his whole life, wrote insightfully:

The last thing in the world that should concern a Christian or the Church is survival in a temporal and worldly sense: to be concerned with this is an implicit denial of Victory of Christ and of the Resurrection.

The Corinthian community was deeply addicted to status, and they had made their newfound faith into part of that status machine. They were following different teachers around to try to angle their way into the “in crowd.” Even the phenomenon of tongues was something they desired to assure their status among the elite.

Paul uses himself as the example to show that the kingdom of God doesn’t run on this kind of social one-upmanship. The Jesus kingdom, in which the last shall be first and the weakest are the strong, runs on inversion. By the world’s measure, it is upside-down. Paul even said some will consider a believer “out of his mind.” Some things just don’t make sense to others. Things like leaders being servants, the first being the last, take my tunic and my cloak, let me turn the other cheek, loving others as Jesus loves—in other words, putting others first.

Our identity as individuals and as a community can’t be tied to this temporary, fleeting earth, this constant vying for the center-stage. To live like this, and to waste our energy seeking this, is to deny the victory of Christ and the resurrection.

Jesus broke us free from ourselves and our desire to lift up our image, our importance, our value. He broke us free from the world where image is everything. Think of the sadness of Hollywood heartthrobs from years ago who’ve spent a fortune on plastic surgery. Think of the aging high school star who keeps hanging around the games after graduation because he doesn’t know what else to do with himself. Think of the high-power executive who one day finds himself getting older, walking slower, and wearing last year’s suits. The image world is merciless; it doesn’t celebrate humanity—it suffocates it.

In the ancient world, the scars on Paul’s body were an embarrassment. The body was venerated, and physical health was a prime value in that society. But Paul bears his scars with pride, as an example to the people he led. “I bear on my body the marks of Jesus,” he wrote in Galatians 6:17. He celebrated his wounds, and called us to live honestly in this impermanent, image-obsessed world, so that we might be truly free.

Inclusive

When we realize our freedom, we focus less on the self and more on others. Note how Paul finished the comment about others thinking we are “out of our mind.”

If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. (2 Corinthians 5:13-16)

We don’t judge people by their image, by their religious practices, by their lifestyle—we judge them by the truth of who they are—children of God, many of whom do not know their Father. Christ’s love compels us to see others differently, to be convinced that Christ died for them and was raised for them. We cannot view them from a worldly point of view based on image, or occupation, or status, or race, or religious beliefs, or anything else. All are children God created who are suffering in one way or another from the fall of humanity. All have lived in a false image—a series of lies that have been told in so many different ways: You are not loved; you are not good enough; God doesn’t love you; you are worthless; no one cares about you, and on and on it goes.

Whenever we focus on an earthly image to imitate or to follow, we will fall short. There is an image, however, that we want to hold on to. You were created in the image of God. We look to Christ to see what that true image looks like. He is the image we hold up for ourselves and for others.

And this is Paul’s message to the believers in Corinth. Because of Jesus, we see everyone through his eyes. Because of Jesus, we are new. “The old has gone, the new is here.”

Welcome to your real image—a beloved child of God.

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Small Group Discussion Questions

Psalm 133:1-3 • 1 Samuel 17:57-18:5, 18:10-16 • 2 Corinthians 6:1-13 • Mark 4:35-41

The theme for this week is God is supreme. Our call to worship psalm speaks of God’s blessing that even leads to eternal life. The passages in 1 Samuel show God’s ability to elevate David and give him favor despite the scorn of King Saul. In 2 Corinthians, Paul names the many trials the Lord brought him through as evidence of God’s favor. Finally, Mark recounts Jesus’ power to rebuke the storm.

God Reigns Over Hardships

2 Corinthians 6:1-13

Uncle Pete was the beloved old caretaker of a small church in a small town. One day while Uncle Pete was trimming the church’s hedges, a man walked by. The man said, “Excuse me. My name is Michael Jones. My wife and I just moved into town and we are looking for a new church. Can you please tell me about this one?”

Uncle Pete smiled pleasantly and said, “Sure! What was the church you used to attend like?”

The man frowned and said, “I did not like that church at all! The people were annoying and phony. I would have preferred if they kept to themselves. Plus, on Sundays they played weird music. What’s wrong with the old hymns? It was nothing like you would expect church to be.”

Uncle Pete thought for a moment and answered, “This one is pretty much like your old church.” The man shook his head and walked away disappointed.

A little while later, a woman walked by the church and saw Uncle Pete working in the yard. She stopped and said, “Pardon me, Sir. I’m Mary Jones. My husband and I are looking for a new church home. We’re new in town. What’s this church like?”

Uncle Pete smiled and said, “I’m glad you asked! What was the church you used to attend like?”

The woman beamed. “God blessed us with a wonderful church! The people were so friendly and really tried to get to know me. They tried their best to follow Jesus as a family, not just as individuals. Going there stretched me to appreciate people who were different from me. Even the music was different, but I truly felt God in the worship. It was nothing like you would expect church to be.”

Uncle Pete thought for a moment and smiled. “This one is pretty much like your old church.” The woman thanked Uncle Pete and ran to tell her husband.

This story shows how our perspective reveals our reality. The husband and wife saw the same church in very different ways. Because of his perspective and attitude, the husband would likely never find a church that satisfied him. He prioritized his preferences over following the leading of God. Yet, the wife would likely see God everywhere because she trusted that he was the giver of good things. How we experience our lives depends on what we believe about God, ourselves, and the world around us. Our perspective also determines the extent to which Jesus can be the Lord of our lives. In his second letter to believers in Corinth, Paul sets an example of how to have a proper perspective on God, himself, and others. He writes:

As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation. We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything. We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. As a fair exchange—I speak as to my children—open wide your hearts also. (2 Corinthians 6:1-13)

Let’s review some of the bad things Paul experienced in ministry—situations that had to be endured—troubles, hardships, distresses, beatings, imprisonments, riots, hard work, sleepless nights, hunger, dishonor, false claims, false accusations, being ignored, near death experiences, more beatings, sorrow, and poverty. Ah, the glamorous life of ministry! Imagine if these things happened to you because of your job? Would you continue to do that job? For some, there is no option. For others, a job search might be in order. For ministry? Honestly, I would love to put on my most pious face and tell you, “Yes, if God willed it so.” However, I fear I might not have the same character as Paul. Unless I am a boxer, I can’t imagine tolerating being regularly beaten as part of my job. It would take the work of the Holy Spirit to help me stay completely focused on Jesus and on moving forward in ministry.

Not only did Paul continue to participate in ministry despite the awful things that happened to him, but he spoke boldly about how God blessed him and brought him through his trials. For each negative thing that happened, Paul presented something God did to not only counteract the bad thing, but completely overshadow it. God’s activity was Paul’s reality, which helped the actions of humans against him to fade to the background. Paul used his story to encourage the church in Corinth to open their hearts to God—the one who can bring them through the trials they are facing.

Notice how he started this passage:

As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:1-2)

Paul considered himself and other believers as recipients of God’s grace and favor. Christ and his redemptive work was the lens through which Paul saw himself and the world. Paul considered himself already blessed and already favored. God’s favor was not something that came or went or was something for which Paul was waiting. Because of Christ, God’s favor was a permanent possession. Paul’s truth and reality was founded upon God’s goodness and grace. Negative experiences did not alter Paul’s belief in God’s character or his own blessedness. How easy it would have been for Paul, after he was stoned and left for dead, to find reasons to distrust God? Yet, in this passage Paul uses his hardships to affirm God’s righteousness.

I wish I could say the same thing. Too often, when I experience what I perceive as a trial or tragedy, I am reflexively tempted to diminish God in my own eyes. It is easy to believe him to be less loving, good, and concerned about me than I previously thought. Hard times can cause me to doubt my calling and purpose in the Lord. I can, at times, be that rudderless ship, cast to and fro by the wind and the waves. Part of the reason for this is that I give my feelings too much power.

We are wired to interpret pain and discomfort as “bad.” In many cases, this works in our favor. If I touch a hot stove, I experience pain, letting me know that something harmful is happening. In that case, pain works in my favor. However, getting a shot also causes me pain (especially since I hate needles), yet shots can be beneficial. In that case, pain does not work in my favor by implying something is bad. In the same way, a situation that causes us pain or discomfort does not indicate God is allowing something “bad” to happen. We have to develop the humility to resist being the interpreter of our story, deciding what is “good” and what is “bad.” Instead, we should seek God’s help in understanding the things that happen to us, trusting him with our very lives.

When it comes to God, it seems like we always find what we are looking for. If we are looking for a god who is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love, we will find him, despite our circumstances. Similarly, if we are looking for a god who is cruel, untrustworthy, distant, and oppressive, we will find him, despite evidence to the contrary. This is our curse from the time of the fall of humanity—our ability to see God and fellow humans clearly is greatly diminished. After sinning by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Adam and Eve did two things: they hid themselves from each other by covering themselves, and they hid themselves from God. Two beings who had never known shame saw something unseemly in what was once beautiful. The man and woman, who had walked and talked with God in loving communion, now saw him as someone to be feared. The first casualty of corruption was Adam and Eve’s vision—how they saw God and how they saw themselves. Therefore, we cannot trust how we interpret pain because our vision is corrupted. We must rely on the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, to lead us into all truth, individually and collectively.

Our perspective is closely related to our faith. In fact, perspective is how we see things as a result of our faith. Faith is a relational term, rooted and grounded in who God is, as revealed by Jesus Christ. We Christians need to pay attention to our perspective, because it indicates who we believe God to be. If we tend to be negative and expect the worst in people, this says something about who we believe God to be. Likewise, if we tend to be hopeful and willing to extend others the benefit of the doubt, this also says something else about who we believe God to be. I am not saying that we should walk through life with proverbial rose-colored glasses, avoiding anything negative. If something is not good, we should not pretend that it is good. However, those who see God clearly will find hope in Christ in the most desperate of situations. Those who see God clearly will be able to access joy in the midst of tragedy. Those who see God clearly will feel his love in the face of persecution. God is that good! Paul was able to see God’s favor during his suffering because his faith would not allow him to do otherwise.

Even more important than what we believe about God is what he believes about us. From the moment God created humanity, he called us “good.” He determined that we were worthy of adoption in Christ, and he has not wavered from that belief, despite us providing mountains of evidence to the contrary. Christ put on human flesh because God believed we were worth saving. It is God’s beliefs about us that makes new life in Christ possible. We are changed and transformed because of what God believes about us. As Christians, it is essential that we regularly hear what God believes about us. Paul said that faith comes by hearing God’s message about Jesus Christ (Romans 10:17). Hearing God’s beliefs regarding humanity builds our faith, which shapes our perspective. In this way, Jesus and his work on the cross should be the lens through which we view all things.

How we view the world matters. I encourage us to look to Jesus so our vision can be clear. When we do that, we will see that God reigns over any hardship that can come our way. Looking through the cross, God becomes supreme in every moment, therefore, every moment, good and bad, will be sacred.

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Small Group Discussion Questions

Psalm 130 • 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27 • 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 • Mark 5:21-43

The theme this week is God the great storyteller. In the call to worship Psalm, the poet connects his comfort in God to Israel’s comfort, weaving his own story into the epic. In 2 Samuel, David mourns Saul, not because the disgraced king was a particularly good man but because he was part of God’s great story of Israel. Mark tells how Jesus entered the sad story of a sickly woman and made her whole. Our sermon discusses 2 Corinthians 8, the transformative story of the Gentile churches financially supporting the Jerusalem church. This healing episode of faith-in-action invites us to see how miraculous the gospel story really is.

Paul’s Bottom Line

2 Corinthians 8:7-15 ESV

Religion has actually convinced people that there’s an invisible man living in the sky who watches everything you do, every minute of every day…. But He loves you. He loves you, and He needs money! He always needs money! He’s all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing, and all-wise, somehow just can’t handle money!—George Carlin

With trademark 20^th century cynicism, comedian George Carlin describes an issue that many people bring up as a reason to leave the church: “All they ever do is ask for money.” Tithing, which has been part of life in the worshipping community since the dawn of faith, has been a touchy subject since the first time the plate was passed.

Like George Carlin’s caustic remarks, there’s a stereotype of the church as money-hungry and driven by finance more than anything else. Admittedly, some Christians have done plenty to earn this reputation—characters like Jim Bakker and Robert Tilton line the “Halls of Shame” in Christian history. It’s a trite story in which a pastor comes to prominence, then guarantees that people’s tithing will pay big dividends, and then jumps on a plane to a faraway island with his pockets full. It’s a sad reality that we need to acknowledge rather than shy away from. In terms of Christian history, it’s a long, jagged, permanent scar.

And this sticky discussion is squarely the main topic of the end of 2 Corinthians.

Let’s read the text: 2 Corinthians 8:5-17 ESV.

Paul is coordinating a collection—running a capital campaign. Yet unlike the fundraising efforts that we may have seen, or that George Carlin might describe, the details are different. There are no vague promises about God giving them more money back; there is no misdirecting language or bait-and-switch going on; there’s no guilt trips about earning God’s love.

Instead, Paul’s offering is a way to join in the life of God in the world. This gift isn’t a chance to line pockets or re-carpet the sanctuary; it is a dynamic invitation to participate in God’s kingdom coming in the here and now.

Let’s look at Paul’s bottom line, and how what looks like an afterthought in one of his letters is actually a crucial participation in God’s transforming work. We will break this down into three aspects:

• Transformation
• Participation
• Narration

Transformation

But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also. (2 Corinthians 8:7 ESV)

This “generous undertaking” that Paul describes is more than it may seem on the surface. As described here as well as in Romans 15 and other places, Paul asks his Gentile churches to support the primarily Jewish church in Jerusalem.

Supporting churches across international lines is nothing new for most of us. We might have a “special collection” for an impoverished church on the other side of the world, or a presenter might come to us on a mission-themed week to ask for support. But in Paul’s day, this was something entirely new.

This was a major distinctive of the early church. Religion was everywhere—there were temples and shrines and religious festivals as part of daily life. This was quite different from our modern world in which churches might be everywhere, depending on where you live, but faith is somewhat contained and relegated to the “private” part of life.

The major distinctive, then, was not being religious, even having the unique story that we have in Christ. The Christian world was distinct because it was diverse. Nowhere in the ancient world did they see Jews, Greeks, Macedonians, Romans and all manner of ethnicities in a worshipping, loving community together.

Theologian Tim Mackie describes this:

People had no idea what to do with his communities because the Roman world had never seen such a thing before. In Paul’s day, religion is something you’re born into, it’s completely bound up to the gods of your people group and of your city and of your family. And for people to break that identity and to choose allegiance to a new god and for a Greek and a Macedonian and a Roman and a Jew and a Libyan and an Egyptian and Cyprian to all eat meals together every single Sunday in allegiance to the one true God was absolutely unheard of.

Nobody had seen anything like this before! The Christian community connected people of all backgrounds and walks of life, bringing them together in one family of faith. However, this unifying was not without its issues, and that is what a lot of Paul’s writing is about. In almost every letter, there is a theme of unity—as Christ’s body, as Christ’s temple on earth, as the family of faith—trying to hold together this fledgling body of faith.

One of the major rifts, which Jesus dealt with in his ministry as well, was the rift between the Jewish community and the rest of the world. God’s people were meant to be a blessing to the world, the connection between God’s world and ours, and they had become an insular, scared-of-the-world group that was hostile rather than welcoming; arrogant rather than humble.

This division had carried over into the church. Some of the Jewish Christians demanded their Gentile counterparts to take part in practices made obsolete in Christ. Paul’s rebukes toward this kind of elitism were harsh, to say the least (see Galatians 5:12).

And now Paul asks these Gentile groups to support the Jewish church! That’s transformation! Far more than what might look like just a bit of church housekeeping to us, Paul is telling them to do something revolutionary: support a community that is not only not part of your lineage, but a community that is not so sure they want you as part of theirs. Support them anyway.

Paul calls them toward action. He’s calling them to do more than lip service to this revolutionary unity of people, but to put their money where their mouth is. Not only will they be unified as a church in some abstract way, but this act hits us all where it hurts: Right in the wallet.

Paul’s bottom line is commending the Corinthian church to be part of the transformation of the gospel—bringing about unity where there was division and melting hostility with grace.

Participation

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9 ESV)

One of Jesus’ few direct interactions with a wealthy person is in Matthew 19, when he tells the rich young man to give up all he has and follow Jesus. This is after the man lists out to Jesus how religious he has been—how he’s kept all the commandments from this youth.

One of the demanding aspects that Jesus then lays on him is not another thing for him to do, or another hoop to jump through—Jesus asks him to lack. Ah, there’s the rub. There’s where it hurts. Rather than something else this young man can do, some action he can add to his regimen, Jesus asks him to go without. This man was a religious athlete, a spiritual all-star, and Jesus asks him to do what he would normally seek to avoid—experience weakness.

Paul asks something similar of the Corinthian community. He asks them to participate in giving up something to support a a sister church. He doesn’t ask them to give with some promise of more money coming back their way. He doesn’t ask them to give in a way to earn God’s love or favor.

Paul’s bottom line offers them a chance to participate in the life of God in the world through experiencing emptying, just as Christ did. Jesus stepped into the vulnerable place of giving up himself, knowing that his gift could be forgotten, misused, ignored.

He gave up control and power; he gave up his rights. Paul calls the Corinthian community to take part in this kind of giving up. The bottom line here takes us to an important gospel theme: Jesus acted like us so we could act like like him. He left his throne at the Father’s side to show us that humility is the key to freedom and giving away is the key to true riches. Paul is asking them and us to love as Jesus loves.

In joining in Christ’s work to give up something to support someone else, the Corinthian church wouldn’t be gaining favor or prestige—they would be meeting Jesus. In participating with Jesus, they would know him better.

Narration

This may sound like a strange word for our last point, but what we’re looking at with narration is the sense of the larger story arc of God’s relationship with his favorite creation: us. This epic narrative finds its culmination, its centerpiece, in Jesus.

As modern Christians, we tend to disconnect the two testaments, as if God was a different person before Jesus came along. We don’t see the interlocking parts of the story—the story of Jesus that started with Abraham and even before that.

One of the difficult currents of the early church was the relationship with the past. Jewish factions pressed Gentile converts to practice Hebrew rites; pagan converts balked at restrictions on sexual freedom and other uncomfortable ethical codes. These cultures were two different planets coming together.

Paul touches on this narrative briefly in verse 15:

As it is written, “Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.” (2 Corinthians 8:15 ESV)

On the first pass, we see that Paul talks about the need for equality in the body of Christ. There is no longer any kind of hierarchy or quid-pro-quo; the family of faith supports each other.

Paul mentions the impoverished community of Macedonia (verses 1-6) participating in this work. He then appeals to Corinth, which was most likely a more wealthy community. These are two ethnic groups with two levels of wealth called to the same work.

Read verse 15 again and you’ll see that Paul quotes Exodus 16, referring to gathering manna in the desert. This was part of the defining narrative for Israel—the Exodus. Paul connects Corinth—pagan, licentious, worldly—with the narrative of Israel! He says the “chosen people” of God are not just one ethnic group, but all people in Christ. He refers to the Israelites centuries before and says, “Corinth, these are your people!”

So, how does Paul’s bottom line speak to us today? What does that mean to us centuries later in a crowded and busy world?

Transformation—Paul called the Corinthians to take action in the transformative work of healing ethnic divisions, something unheard of in the ancient world. There are supernatural transformations like this still happening, often inspired and spearheaded by Christians. Think of the Civil Rights movement in the U.S. that changed history—the vision for this was born in the church. Think of the international unity in the body of Christ and the transformation this shows to the world.

Participation—“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Following Christ is not some way to curry favor with the divine or sweeten the afterlife. It’s the way to fully enter into life, to have it abundantly. Giving to the church or other kingdom causes shouldn’t come from a place of guilt or obligation, but from a desire for the abundant life of knowing Jesus and participating in his kingdom breaking into the world. In humility, we are exalted with him. In being generous along with him, we find true riches and freedom.

Narration—You are part of the epic narrative of God and humanity. As a Christian, the story still flows in your veins. The great heroes you read about in Scripture are your older brothers and sisters who are in the heavenly courts right now. You are as much a part of the story as Moses, Joshua, Paul, Mary—any of these other heroes. There is no one thread in this tapestry that matters more than the others.

Paul called the Corinthians to participate in the life and kingdom of God through this collection for Jerusalem. He knew their gift wouldn’t only result in expanding the church or supporting the poor—their giving would result in them encountering Jesus.

And that, brothers and sisters, is the bottom line.

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Small Group Discussion Questions