2 Corinthians Resources
2 Corinthians Sermon Podcast
In these closing words of his letter, Paul gives his final words to the church, hoping that the next time they will hear from him will be in person. In the first four verses, Paul encouraged the wayward brothers and sisters to repent of their sin and promised to deal sternly with those who would not. Secondly, in verses 5-10, he pleads with the brothers and sisters to give serious attention to the nature of their relationship with Jesus and the genuineness of their salvation so that they might be sure of their salvation.
As Paul concludes his letter, he gives some final warnings and instructions. His final warning can be broken into two parts, confrontation of sin and examining your faith to test if it is genuine. In this sermon, I preach on the first part concerning the confrontation of sin.
Confronting sin and church discipline is something that most Christians know should be happening, but they have not seen a healthy or consistent model of how it happens. And a more honest assessment may be that many Christians have no motivation to faithfully participate in church discipline because they enjoy the lack of accountability in their church.
Understanding this passage and how to confront sin requires understanding three principles of healthy, godly discipline:
Discipline is motivated by love.
Discipline is connected to worth.
Discipline is connected to church fellowship.
The relationship of parent to child is one that Paul uses in this passage and is helpful in understanding the relationship between those who proclaim the gospel and those who receive it. Children do not always appreciate their parents' sacrifices and sometimes even rebel against their parents. What motivates all that parents do for their children is love.
In this passage, the Bible teaches how believers should respond to the gospel, the cost of ministry, and what motivates the preaching of the gospel.
Paul had seen God move in mighty ways. Often when many were coming to salvation, it also was a time when persecution and hardships were the greatest. Fourteen years earlier, while he and Barnabas were preaching in Lystra, Paul noticed a crippled man listening who had believing faith. He healed the man, and he immediately stood up and walked. When the crowds witnessed this miracle, they did not praise God but began to worship Paul and Barnabas as pagan gods. Both Paul and Barnabas pleaded with the people not to believe such lies, but scripture says that “they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.” (Acts 14:18)
Jews from Antioch and Iconium convinced the people to turn on Paul and Barnabas. They stoned Paul until they were convinced he was dead, then drug his lifeless body through the streets and out of the city. Other believers gathered around his body, grieving and likely making plans for his burial. But while they were gathered around what they thought was the corpse of Paul, he rose up and returned to the work of the gospel. This event may be what Paul is referencing in 2 Corinthians 12:1-6.
In recounting this amazing experience, we learn three characteristics of a true disciple:
The mark of a true disciple
The hope of a true disciple
The desire of a true disciple
In these final verses of chapter 11, Paul continues his defense of his apostleship and denouncement of those preaching a gospel contrary to the true gospel.
Generally, it is good advice not to “toot your own horn.” However, sometimes, you must “toot your own horn” when defending against arrogant braggarts leading others astray. This is the case in this passage. To that end, Paul allows himself some room to brag. However, his boasting is not to take any pride in his accomplishments but to show the foolishness of all such boasts. Ultimately, Paul draws your attention to the glory and power of God.
No matter how far a child has wandered or how great a child has rebelled, godly parents do not give up hope that God will draw them back. No matter how long it has been, godly parents continue to call on the Lord to rescue their child and take every opportunity to speak the truth to their child.
This is the heartbreaking intensity with which Paul writes this passage. He loved the church at Corinth. He considered them his children in the faith. And he is brokenhearted that they may be led astray by wicked men. And so, he contends for them by preaching the truth in love.
2 Corinthians Sermon Videos
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2 Corinthians Sermon Shorts
What is holding you back from Jesus? What do you fear? What of the world do you love? What temporary pursuits are you chasing after? What worthless pride are you holding on to? What is it that you love more than the gospel of Jesus?
I know this - whatever keeps you from Jesus today is not worth it.
The image of a train leaving the station has long been a helpful image for a present opportunity. When the train arrives, you have the opportunity to get on. However, this opportunity will not last. The train will leave, and when it does, you will lose the opportunity to travel.
How many will miss the opportunity to get on board because they are too tied to the luggage on the loading dock? Weighed down by concerns and worldly affection other than the departing train, they will miss the opportunity. Likewise, how many will miss the opportunity of salvation? Clinging tight to the affections and concerns of this world, many will miss the gift of salvation.
Now is the day of salvation.
Once you have seen the light of truth, you can never again believe the lie.
A few years ago, I was in my hometown visiting family. During my visit, the subject of people driving the wrong way through a well-known one-way alleyway. As we discussed this common vexation, it became apparent that there was disagreement on the correct direction for the alley. So the next day, we went to see for ourselves which way was the right way. To my great dismay, the direction I had believed was the right direction was the wrong way.
The right and wrong way had not changed. What changed was that I had come to know the truth. I could no longer arrogantly go the wrong way, confident that I was right and indignant at others going the other direction. I had seen the light and knew the truth; from that day forward, I have only driven the right way.
Jesus is the light of truth. He gives understanding to what is right and wrong, true and false, and life and death.
It is not that a Christian no longer struggles with sin and temptation, but those who are in Christ no longer welcome, make plans for, invite, or love sin. It is impossible to love Jesus, be transformed by grace, and willfully remain in sin.
We live in a day of self-promotion and public relations. Branding used to be something that only large corporations were concerned with, but today, individuals seek to develop personal brands. In this world of self-promotion, many are seeking to draw attention to themselves and build their own realm of influence. Unfortunately, many in the church have also given unhelpful attention to promoting a brand for themselves, their ministries, or church that is more about promoting themselves than promoting Jesus.
Salvation does not come through effective branding or self-promotion. Salvation comes when the grace of God allows you to see Jesus as the Son of God who takes away the sin of the world. Those who have known this grace become servants of Christ, pointing others to Jesus.
Related Blog Posts
My family has a beloved story about my grandfather’s reaction to my dad taking up running. It was the early 1980s when running was not as popular as it has become today. My grandparents had come to celebrate my dad’s completion of the Callaway Gardens Marathon. When the race was over, my grandfather, who knew nothing about marathons or those who ran them, asked my dad if he had won the race. My dad told him that he had not, nor had he expected to win. Now a little confused about why my father would give such effort and even pay the entry fee to run a race that he did not expect to win, my grandfather asked if he got anything for running? To this question, my dad held up the t-shirt given to the race participants and said, “I got a t-shirt.” Then, my grandfather turned to my grandmother with a smile and said, “I think we have raised a fool.” My grandfather enjoyed a good joke, and he spoke these words with a grin, but I have to believe that though he intended these words as a lighthearted ribbing, they did reveal his befuddlement as to why anyone would suffer through running 26.2 miles just for a t-shirt.
It seems foolish indeed to those watching. One of the more common remarks, made in jest by those who are not runners, is that runners look so unpleasant while running. They say our faces carry the expression of pain and our general demeanor communicates suffering. The question is then asked, why would anyone want to do something that makes you so miserable?
2 Corinthians Sermon Manuscripts
Pastor Ben Smith’s notes for preaching 2 Corinthians 1:1-11. Includes pulpit notes and outline handout.
Pastor Ben Smith’s expository sermon notes for preaching 2 Corinthians 1:12-24. Includes pulpit notes and sermon outline handout.
Pastor Ben Smith’s notes for preaching 2 Corinthians 2:1-11. Includes pulpit notes and outline handout.
Pastor Ben Smith’s sermon notes for preaching 2 Corinthians 2:12-17. Includes pulpit notes and outline handout.
Pastor Ben Smith’s sermon pulpit notes for preaching 2 Corinthians 3. The PDF file contains sermon notes, illustrations, and an outline handout.
The notes for the introduction include an overview of Exodus 19-34.
2 Corinthians Sermon Books
A Journey Through Paul's Most Personal Letter
Learn what it means to serve Christ through weakness and suffering with this collection of 13 expository sermons by Ben Smith, Sr., covering 2 Corinthians chapters 1-7. This resource provides both profound theological insight and practical application as it explores themes of suffering, comfort, forgiveness, and the ministry of reconciliation.
Physical Format
This 257-page booklet is printed on 5.5 × 8.5-inch pages and bound with durable plastic comb binding (6.25 × 8.5 × 1 inches), making it easy to lay flat for study, teaching preparation, or note-taking. The convenient size fits perfectly in a Bible study bag or on your desk.
Completing Paul's Most Personal Letter
Discover the power of grace-filled generosity and strength through weakness with this collection of 13 expository sermons by Ben Smith, Sr., covering 2 Corinthians chapters 8-13. This resource provides both profound theological insight and practical application as it explores themes of Christian giving, defending the true gospel, Paul's apostolic authority, and the paradox of finding strength in weakness.
Physical Format
This 223-page booklet is printed on 5.5 × 8.5-inch pages and bound with durable plastic comb binding (6.25 × 8.5 × 1 inches), making it easy to lay flat for study, teaching preparation, or note-taking. The convenient size fits perfectly in a Bible study bag or on your desk.
A Complete Journey Through Paul's Most Personal Letter
Experience the full depth of Paul's second letter to the Corinthians with this comprehensive collection of 26 expository sermon manuscripts by Ben Smith, Sr., covering 2 Corinthians chapters 1-13. This resource provides both profound theological insight and practical application as it explores what it means to serve Christ through weakness and suffering, the ministry of reconciliation, grace-filled generosity, the defense of the true gospel, Paul's apostolic authority, and the paradox of finding strength in weakness.
This is a downloadable ZIP file containing two PDF files (Volume 1 and Volume 2). Each sermon includes a complete sermon manuscript in outline format and an outline listening guide handout.