ST. MARY’S CATHOLICCHURCH – DUBAI
BIBLE FAITH SHARING
CONDUCTED BY: BR. HILARY Da VEIGA
HELD ON: 23rdJanuary 2006
2nd Corinthians
Chapter 1 – Chapter 4
SCRIPTURE QUOTE:
ROM 8:37-39 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Jesus loves you. God loves us so much that He is doing wonderful things in our lifeand there are more miracles in our lives daily.
The preacher briefly summarized Chapters 1-4 on what we studied in the previous sessions.
2 COR - Chapter 1
First of all St. Paul is saying that he is an apostle of Jesus Christ and says how he has been through so much of turmoil, tribulations, trails, difficulties, problems and troubles and he knows for sure that all these things will happen. Why did he have to go through all these problems, difficulties? If we turn our Bibles to 2 COR 1:9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death so that we would rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.
These problems come so that we do not rely on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. All this happens when you and I do not rely on God but rely on ourselves. When these things happen we do not have to rely on ourselves but on God. How many of you rely on yourself? God helps those who help themselves. Or have you changed your opinion. Do not rely too much on your own but from now on rely on God. He could make the dead to come back to life. He can work wonders and He wants to work the wonders.
We go on to see how St. Paul gives so much explanation in Chapter 1 itself. How many of us make our own plans. St. Paul had made his own plan and at the end he was not able to fulfill his plan so he gives a lot of excuses. What was St. Paul saying in Chapter 1? He was saying I did not make that second trip. Why? He was supposed to make that second trip to Corinth while he was on his way back from Macedonia. He was going to Macedonia and back again through Corinth but he says he did not make the second trip because in God what is Yes is Yes and what is No is No.
He is a person who did not make his plans just depending on himself and if the weather permits and if this happens or does not happens. He was saying that he had to go to Corinthwhile going and coming from Macedonia but God changed his plan and put a big cross to say you are not going to make another painful visit to them. 2 COR 2:1 So I made up my mind not to make another painful visit.St. Paul was telling us that God has made another plan. We are encouraged not to make our own plans but to go according to God’s plan. We are talking of human beings, God is your Father. The rest of the things are all created for you and me. Amen.
God says in ROM 8:14 As many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the children of God. How many of us want to be children of God. If Yes, there is a price to pay to be God’s children. He hopeswe understand that price because if we are led by the Spirit of God, our plans will be led by the Spirit of God and they will always be Yes and Yes in Christ Jesus.
2 COR - Chapter 2
2 COR 2:6-8
This punishment by the majority is enough for such a person; so now instead you should forgive and console him, so that he may not be over-whelmed by excessive sorrow. So I urge you to reaffirm your love for him.
St. Paul talks about a sinner whom the church has to forgive. Do we find sinners in the church? We are all sinners but we are repentant sinners. Sinners yes, but repented sinners because weare people who have admitted that we have done wrong and have repented. Here was a sinner whom God gave to realize that he has done something wrong. If you do not forgive him, you know how Satan works. Satan is likely to take him away. We do not want Satan to act or work so we have to forgive him and accept him and embrace him and bring him back into our fold. He says make him come back into the fold. If you say you have forgiven him and do not have anything to do with him, Satan will take advantage, the church will be divided and instead of one Catholic Church there will be a hundred Christian churches.
St. Paulgoes on to describe his ministry. St. Paulwho is one of the greatest apostles had to stand and write and tell his people and defend his ministry. Can you imagine what he must have felt going through all this? He says thanks be to God who always leads us into triumphal victory. There is victory always in Christ Jesus.
2 COR 2:17
For we are not peddlers of God’s word like so many; but in Christ we speak as persons of sincerity, as persons sent from God and standing in his presence.
He says very clearly we do not peddle the word of God for a profit. Some people do things even with the word of God; even the church they use to their advantage. How many of you have met people like that? The preacher gave us examples of people who use the word of God to their advantage. These people try and portray they are very good people who come and ask you for a loan. They will come and say they belong to this ministry, they are in the Legion of Mary, they are in the Charismatic, and they do this and that. They want to portray a good picture. They want you to give them a job, etc. and they take the name of Jesus, they take the name of certain organizations for their benefit. People try to take what they can to their own advantage and for their own profit.
On the contrary as people of God we should be the last one to take advantage of any of these situations. Some of the people live on tithes. Some people collect 1/10 amount from the church and from the people and they and their families live comfortably on that.People peddle the word of God and use that word of God for their advantage. St. Paul says I have worked on my own for a living as a tent-maker.
2 COR - CHAPTER 3
In these letters he has just jumped from thing to another to another.
2 COR 3:1
Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Surely we do not need, as some do, letters of recommendations to you or from you, do we?
He is asking that question. He says I have just completed the whole stage where people did not know me where I needed a letter of recommendation and now after all this do I have to recommend myself again to you all over again. He is writing again to the people of Corinth and he says you are my letter. The writing of letters made not on tablets of stone but on human hearts!
He is comparing between the old covenant and the new covenant. In the old covenant it was written on stone but in the new covenant it is written on the hearts. He says the old covenant is perishable but in the new covenant there is so much more glory, the new which is everlasting will give that much more glory. In the old covenant, Moses was covering his face with a veil. Today in the new covenant there is that everlasting glory. How much more has the permanent come in glory? We are not making ourselves blind like the people of darkness. The people who lived in darkness they cannot see God and His plan and they cannot see God’s calling and they cannot see God’s love. Their faces are still covered and their eyes are shut. Their veil is blocking them from coming to God. He makes all these comparisons.
2 COR - CHAPTER 4
2 COR 4:1-2
Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God’s word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God.
The first thing he says we have this ministry. We do not lose heart because of God’s mercy.
Brothers and Sisters, St. Paul is talking about losing heart. When do people lose heart? When they go through difficult situations; when they have difficult things to face. He says this ministry; this gospel is given to me and given to us, and given to St. Paul by the mercies of God.
God has recommended it and put it in our minds and in our hearts. St. Paul says I am not going to lose heart and I am not going to be afraid to preach whether you are going to be upset or angry or hurt. I am going to tell you that God is real, heaven is real and hell is real. The preacher tells us that God is real and the only way to heaven is Jesus.
2 COR 4:3
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
There must have been some people even in the time of St. Paul where they had secret and shameful ways.
Story: There was a pastor who was giving beautifulpreachings and the church would get bigger and bigger. One fine Sunday morning as he was preaching he saw his wife and his children from afar approaching the church. They were carrying some vessels and coming towards him. He was wondering what happened, whether they were dislodged from their home and why they have come with all these things here, he was so afraid. He asks his wife and she says ‘Honey, I want to sit here with you on the stage because when you are on the stage you are so sweet, you are so nice, I want to stay with you on the stage.’
We have our own ways and our own life in our church, in our office and in the home. We have different lives and different lifestyles in different places. We have renounced our secret and hidden ways and there is no question of trying to sell ourselves. There is no question of trying to sell God. There is no question of exaggerating things so that people think this is a beautiful testimony or anything. It is not like that. Our preachers stand here just to plainly give the message of Jesus and if God can touch someone here.
St. Ignatius of Loyola by just a word could make a saint of St. Francis. So just one single word, one single sentence can touch and make saints in our life because the word of God has power. It has power and it is more powerful than any two edged sword.
He says on the contrary I am setting forth the truth plainly. If there is a word or scripture or holy book which is plain, it is the Bible. It is the most plain book, written and translated into so many languages and so many people have criticized it and there are so many types of stories and they are true stories and in it is written the story of Noah and the flood, Lot and his daughters, Samson and Delilah, Jonah and so on and so forth so plainly and so clearly. However these are not fairy tales, these are true stories. It is the same God speaking to us from generation to generation and from time to time. So plainly and so clearly he tells you that there is a heaven and there is a hell. Heaven and hell are real and one day all of us have to stand before Jesus Christ. We have to give an account of what we did and we have to receive the reward for what we did. If you have wasted your time today, you have to double up your efforts tomorrow.
If the gospel is hidden or veiled from those who are perishing, they are bound to go to hell. Those who are perishing, those who are slipping and falling are bound to go right down. Is there anyone among us? If there is anyone among us who is not able to understand the word of God the preacher is saying be careful. That means there is a veil which is keeping you from understanding the word of God and you may be the one who is slipping and may go down to hell.So it is time to wake up. Is the word of God going deep into you or not? Are we going up or are we going down? St. Paul says our gospel is so plain, written and translated into so many languages, into so many vernacular languages and if it is so plain and clear and if they are still veiled then there is a possibility that Satan has blinded their eyes. If you still do not feel alive in that word there is a possibility that God is away from you and Satan is right before your eyes. It is time we told him to get out and claim back our rights and that is what is called repentance. This is called turning away from Satan and seeking the Lord and making Him the Lord of your life.
2 COR 4:4
In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
St. Paul talks of the god of this age. Who is the god of this age – Satan, the Devil and he has power. LK 4:6 And the devil said to him, “To you I will give the glory and allthis authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please.”Satan has power and what does he do? He plans the minds of the unbelievers so if you see that the gospel is not reaching any of your colleagues in your office or members of your family, it means the devil has worked in that home, in that family, in that mind and in that heart.Jesus said in LK 10:19“See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
First thing you have got to do is bind anyone from the power of Satan that means his mind will be open to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Some people look at Jesus and say He is a prophet, some people say He is the Son of God, some people say He is a Teacher, some people regard Him as nothing just a good man like Gandhi or Sai Baba. So many people have so many different perceptions of Jesus. There is only one true perception that we need to have - the perception that Jesus is God. Amen.
This is the only right perception and this is the only perception you and I have to have. If somebody has a wrong perception, we have to put right that perception as you and I have been given the POWER; USE THE POWER TO TAKE OUT THE WRONG PERCEPTION AND PUT IT RIGHT. IT IS OUR DUTY, WE HAVE NO CHOICE.
2 COR 4:5
For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake.
Sometimes people preach their own thing, they give nice testimonies, their own ideologies and St. Paul is saying we do not preach ourselves. JN 7:18 Those who speak on their own seek their own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and there is nothing false in him.The preacher says nobody needs to know who he is, nobody needs to know what his background is, and nobody needs to know from where he got his theology. Just as St. Paul says I do not need to preach myself but Jesus Christ as Lord and preachers as your servants for Jesus.
The preacher says that today if both our preachers are our servants, we can command them and they will obey and not get upset if they have to preach Christ and that is the end of the story. They have no choice but to be our servants and eventually they become the servants of God.
It is easy to become a servant of God but it is difficult to become a servant of man but our preachers are willing and are ready to take any nonsense from us so long as they can take someone to heaven with them. It does not matter how much they can take so long as they know that they can take you to heaven, so that together we are all in heaven.
The preacher said to remember these words of his because it takes a lot of pain to take someone to heaven. It is not easy but they will do it in the name of Jesus and for Jesus. If Jesus had to accept and tolerate all our inadequacies, you and I as servants will take the nonsense to take someone to heaven. Amen.
2 COR 4:6
For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.