2 Corinthians 7
Outline:
I. \\#2Corinthians 1:1-5:21\\ Paul’s Explanations
A. \\#2Corinthians 1:1-2\\ Paul’s Introduction
B. \\#2Corinthians 1:3-11\\ Paul’s Suffering
1. \\#1:3-7\\ Truths about All Suffering
2. \\#1:8-11\\ Truths about Paul’s Suffering
C. \\#2Corinthians 1:12-14\\ Paul’s Rejoicing
D. \\#2Corinthians 1:15-2:17\\ Paul’s Itinerary
1. \\#1:15-16\\ Paul’s Purpose
2. \\#2:17\\ The Corinthians’ Charge
3. \\#1:18-2:13\\ Paul’s Answers
4. \\#2:13-17\\ Paul’s Praise
E. \\#2Corinthians 3:1-5:21\\ Paul’s Ministry Facts
1. \\#3:1-5\\ Our Converts Are Our Credentials
2. \\#3:6-18\\ We Are Empowered through the Spirit
3. \\#4:1-18\\ We don’t quit.
4. \\#5:1-11\\ We have heavenly longings.
5. \\#5:12-21\\ We are driven by the love of Christ.
II. \\#2Corinthians 6:1-7:16\\ Paul’s Commands
A. \\#6:1-10\\ Don’t Waste God’s Grace
B. \\#6:11-18\\ Don’t Be Joined to the Lost
C. \\#7:1-16\\ Don’t Reject Us.
1. \\#1-3\\ We Do Right.
2. \\#4-12\\ We Care For You.
3. \\#13-16\\ We Are Blessed.
III. \\#2Corintihains 8:1-9:15\\ The Collection for the Saints
I. \\#7:1-16\\ Don’t Reject us. (Why have you rejected us?)
A. \\#1-3\\ We Do Right.
1. \\#1\\ "Having therefore these promises"
a. The ‘therefore" connects what Paul was about to say to
what he had already said.
b. The promises Paul referred to would be all of the
promises he had made but in particular the last one
he recorded \\#2Cor 6:17-18\\ that if we would come
out of the world, God would receive us as His
children.
2. "let us clean ourselves" - Paul’s response to that promise
is "Let’s do it!" Let’s cleanse ourselves from worldly
elements such as:
a. "filthiness of the flesh" - The wicked things that the
body enjoys, perhaps lying, stealing, various forms
of fleshly gratification, corrupt communications,
etc.
b. "filthiness of the… spirit" - And while we may not
often think of the spirit being capable of doing
evil, it can. For example jealousy, lust, hatred,
bitterness are all born of the spirit.
3. Instead we should be "perfecting holiness in the fear of
God."
a. The battle is not just between the flesh and the
spirit. It is between sin and holiness.
b. "perfecting" - By using the present, active tense
("ing"), Paul may have been indicating that this
will be a continuous work for us.
4. \\#2\\ "Receive us" - This was Paul’s third command. The
Corinthians should have received Paul as an apostle and
friend. Why? Because…
a. "we have wronged no man." The word "wrong" means to
hurt, to injure, to treat unjustly.
b. "we have corrupted no man" The word "corrupt" means
to morally ruin, corrupt, or defile.
c. "we have defrauded no man." The word "defraud" means
to make a gain by taking advantage of.
d. Paul used these three terms to say that neither he nor
his company had done anything but
5. \\#3\\ Paul reaffirmed his love for the Corinthians
a. "I speak not… to condemn you" - Paul was attempting
to make the Corinthians feel guilty.
b. "I have said before" - Paul had told the Corinthians
of his love for them repeatedly in this epistle.
2Co 2:4 For out of much affliction and anguish
of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not
that ye should be grieved, but that ye might
know the love which I have more abundantly unto
you.
2Co 3:2 Ye are our epistle written in our
hearts, known and read of all men:
2Co 6:11 O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open
unto you, our heart is enlarged.
c. "ye are in our hearts to die and live" - Paul was not
only willing to die for the Corinthians but to live
for them.
6. \\#4\\ Paul spoke of four great actions he had toward this
church.
a. "Great is my boldness of speech" - Paul would be blunt
and bold in speaking to the Corinthians. Again, this
was to some at Corinth one of Paul’s faults, yet it
was Paul’s intended goal. We must remember that the
method of delivery does not change the meaning of the
message.
2Co 10:10 For his letters, say they, are weighty
and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak,
and his speech contemptible.
1Co 2:1 And I, brethren, when I came to you,
came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom,
declaring unto you the testimony of God.
b. "great is my glorying of you"
(1) The word "glorying" means boasting. Paul was
acknowledging that he boasted to another and
perhaps the Lord about the Corinthians. He will
speak more of this boasting in \\#2Cor 7:14\\.
(2) As carnal as this church was, we have no real
knowledge of our far they had come in Christ.
This city was one of the most pagan that Paul
ever encountered.
c. "I am filled with comfort" - Paul was greatly
comforted by the good news that Titus had brought to
him concerning Corinth \\2Cor 7:5-7\\.
d. "I am exceedingly joyful" - Paul, like the Apostle
John, had his greatest joy in hearing that his
converts were growing in grace, despite any
"tribulations" he was currently facing.
3Jo 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that
my children walk in truth.
B. \\#4-12\\ We Care For You. Paul explained the reason he was
experiencing such comfort and joy.
1. \\#5\\ Paul’s Distress
a. "when we came into Macedonia"
(1) Paul first came to Corinth toward the end of this
second missionary journey.
(2) \\#2Cor 1:16\\ He had planned to return to them
on the front end of his third missionary journey
and then go into Macedonia.
(3) Instead, he followed his previous routes of
walking though Asia Minor.
(4) Hearing that the Corinthians were upset with him,
Paul had written to them and even made another
"heavy" visit \\#2Cor 12:4, 13:1, 2Cor 2:1\\.
(5) The response had not been good thus far.
(6) As Paul wrote this letter, he had already crossed
the Aegena Sea into Macedonia.
b. Paul summarized his circumstances at that time.
2Cor 7:5 …our flesh had no rest, but we were
troubled on every side, without were fightings,
within were fears.
(1) On the outside, he was being persecuted.
(a) \\#Acts 19:23-20:1\\ In Ephesus, Paul was
almost killed within the Ephesians grew
jealous of their goddess, Diana.
(b) \\#Acts 20:2-3\\ Paul went into "Greece"for
about three months. The boundaries of
Greece varied but it appears that either
all of Achaia (including Corinth) belonged
to Greece about that time or perhaps just
north and west of Corinth belonged to
Greece. While there, the Jews attempted
to capture or kill Paul.
(2) On the inside, were "fears." Paul could risk and
give his life with no indication of fear, but
his concern over the Corinthians had caused a
great fear to arise in his heart.
2. \\#6-7\\ God’s Comfort
a. \\#6\\ "coming of Titus" - God comforted Paul with
Titus’ coming.
b. \\#7\\ "he was comforted in you" - But it was not just
Titus’ coming. It was Titus sharing how the
Corinthians had encouraged him.
c. "when he told us of your earnest desire"
(1) Titus was encouraged by the Corinthians change of
heart.
(2) Apparently, Titus had delivered Paul’s last
letter to the Corinthians and was to bring word
of their response. (We do not have a copy of
that letter).
(3) Titus reported that the Corinthians had:
(a) An "earnest desire" - Their desire was not
stated but seems to be to serve God and to
reconciliation with Paul.
(b) "mourning" - A brokenness over the conditions
that had lead them to this place.
(c) A "fervent mind toward me" - The people had
made a strong decision regarding the
Apostle Paul.
3. \\#8-12\\ Paul’s Heart
a. \\#8\\ "For though I made you sorry… I do not
repent" - Although Paul had grieved the Corinthians
in the sent letter, he was not sorry he had done it.
b. "the same epistle hath made you sorry… but for a
season" - Paul understood that the grief they had
experienced was just temporary.
c. \\#9\\ "but ye sorrowed to repentance" - But the
temporary sorrow they felt lead to a more permanent
repentance.
d. "ye were made sorry after a godly manner" - The grief
was a godly grief, producing godly results.
e. "that ye might receive damage by us in nothing"
(1) The grief and repentance made things so that Paul
and his group would not have to cause the
Corinthians any other loss, detriment, or
damage.
(2) This statement makes it clear that Paul intended
to do whatever was necessary to set the
Corinthian church in order.
(3) I have no idea what that might have been but as
as apostle, Paul had influence with God that
others do not.
f. \\#10\\ Paul explained the difference in the kind of
sorrow that he had caused the Corinthians and the
kind of sorrow that most people cause one another.
(1) "godly sorrow worketh repentance not to be
repented of"
(a) The type of grief Paul had caused lead the
people to turn away from sin and toward
God.
(b) Even more, it lead them to a repentance that
the Corinthians would not turn away from.
(c) The word "repent" has the thought of turning
about or away from.
(d) Paul’s desire here is that the people having
turned to the correct direction would not
turn back.
(2) "the sorrow of the world worketh death"
(a) But the grief that most give leads to anger,
bitterness, even violence.
(b) These are sinful responses and death,
separation, from God.
g. \\#11\\ But the Corinthians were exhibiting a
different kind of sorrow than carnal sorrow.
(1) "behold the selfsame thing" - Paul told them the
difference was evident in their actions.
(2) Their sorrow had "wrought" or produced:
(a) a "carefulness" - A diligence, an eagerness,
an earnestness to do things right.
(b) a "clearing" - The Greek word is ap-ol-og
ee-ha from which we get the word "apology."
The Corinthians were attempting to remove
the problem between them and Paul, to clear
it out.
(c) "indignation" - The Corinthians were angry
with a godly anger toward themselves for
allowing it and those who had caused this
situation.
(d) "fear"
i. The word means terror. It is the same
word Paul used of himself in
\\#2Cor 7:5\\.
ii. Seeing the dangers that they had
allowed to manifest, they were
genuinely fearful of what had almost
happened.
(e) "vehement desire" - This is the third
reference Paul made of their new and strong
mindset to make things right.
(f) "zeal" - And the had already put that
mindset into some strong actions.
(3) "In all things ye have approved yourself to be
clear in this matter" - In every way possible
the Corinthians were demonstrating that they
were dealing with this matter.
h. \\#12\\ "but that our care for you… might appear
unto you"
(1) "I wrote unto you" - When Paul wrote, it was not
primarily to reconcile the one "that had
done the wrong."
(2) It was with the hope that his love for them might
be made visible to them.
(3) Of course Paul loved the one who had stirred the
problem.
(a) He had already expressed love and concern
for him in this letter.
2Cor 2:6 Sufficient to such a man is this
punishment, which was inflicted of many.
7 So that contrariwise ye ought rather to
forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps
such a one should be swallowed up with
overmuch sorrow.
(b) These two references seem to make it clear
that the strife between the church and Paul
had mainly been caused by one man. No doubt
others had followed him \\#2Cor 11:13-15\\,
but the rebellion within the church toward
Paul seems to have rested primarily upon
one person’s shoulders. All it takes is one
to stir the pot of discord and sin!
(c) They also make it clear that part of the
"clearing" and "zeal" that Paul had
mentioned \\#2Cor 7:11\\ was to deal with
this person according to his actions.
(4) But Paul’s first concern was for the entire
church at Corinth.
C. \\#13-16\\ We Are Blessed.
1. \\#13\\ "Therefore" - Based on the repentance Paul had
learned of within the church of Corinth…
a. "we were comforted"
b. "joyed"
c. "refreshed you all."
2. \\#14\\ Paul spoke more of his boasting or the glorying
that he mentioned in \\#2Cor 7:4\\.
a. "which I made before Titus" - Paul had boasted of the
Corinthians to Titus, perhaps as he sent him with the
last letter.
b. It "is found a truth" - Their actions had proven that
Paul’s boast was true.
c. "I am not ashamed" - Paul has no regrets over the
boast.
d. This indicates that Paul was confident, not only in
his heart, but openly, that God was going to do a
great work of repentance among the Corinthians.
3. \\#15\\ Titus was impressed with the Corinthians.
a. "his inward affection is more abundance" - Titus loved
the Corinthians more than before.
b. "he remembereth the obedience of you all" - Titus
remembered and spoke of their obedience to make this
matter right.
c. Titus also spoke of the Corinthians "fear and
trembling" in receiving him with Paul’s letter.
(1) Although some at Corinth had been brash and bold
in their condemnation of Paul, some respected
Paul and received his letters as they would the
Word of God.
(2) Titus shared this will Paul.
4. \\#16\\ Paul rejoiced that he had always had confidence in
the church.
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