II Corinthians 13:1-10

Recently, I've been thinking about uh becoming a father and what a joy that is.

I I love Ezra, he's a wonderful blessing, even though I was up through the night with him.

But in general, I love him.

He's wonderful, he's a blessing uh to us.

And as a Christian, if you ask me what's what's my biggest hope for my son, it would not be to have a great education, though education is important.

It wouldn't be wanting him to have a great job, wanting him to make money, wanting him to be a success.

It wouldn't even be him playing for the Irish rugby team, though that would be pretty cool.

When all is said and done, above everything else, my desire for my son is that he would know and love Jesus as his Lord and Savior.

That Ezra from a young age would come to know Jesus as the most satisfying, glorious reality in all creation, that his life would be lived out for Jesus in everything he would do.

I can only imagine the pain of seeing Ezra reject Jesus, seeing Ezra live a life of destruction ultimately for him.

The pain of him potentially rejecting us as parents because of our faith.

As a father, I would desperately do all I could.

I would pray for him, I would warn him of the danger that he is in.

There is a distinct longing as a parent to desire the best for your child.

It is only natural we want to see them flourish.

And as Paul looks towards the church at Corinth, he sees them in part like spiritual children.

Last week we heard Paul express these words: children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.

I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls.

He uses this illustration of a parent toward their child because this is how Paul longs for this church.

He longs not to be a burden, but to give to them, to serve them, to see them flourish.

And in this final section, both last week and this week, Paul is making this final appeal to them, crying out like a father to his son, please stop going after a life that will kill you.

Stop refusing to hear my words of love and care for you.

Because whether they want to accept it or not, judgment is coming.

Paul is clear that he is coming, and on his next visit, he will judge.

Whether or not they have responded to the gospel, whether or not they have heard his desperate cry for their repentance and faith.

What Paul is longing for is that they will hear his warning, pass the test, and rejoice in restoration.

Hear his warning.

Look down at verse 2.

I warned those who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again I will not spare them.

Paul is being very clear here of what he has done and what he will do.

That there has been sin among this church, that there has been those who have been sinning and choosing not to repent from their sin.

They have not embraced the call of the gospel to turn in repentance and faith.

Instead, warning after warning, they have continued to resist dealing with their sinfulness.

And now the time has come for them to be dealt with.

Paul is not going to allow them to dishonor Jesus by continuing in sin.

But Paul says that he will bring church discipline, he will deal with them.

This language of not sparing them isn't like, oh, he's gonna kill them or anything weird like that.

No.

It's that he will cast them from the church, he will deal with them, they will be treated as unbelievers, a part of not as being not part of the church family, because they are functioning that way, because they are not repentant.

Because the fact is, as Christians, we are not without sin.

That is true, but we are people who fight.

We fight sin by the power of the Spirit within us to live a life of repentance of faith.

That is our call.

Paul is not asking for them to be perfect, but rather to be faithful, to be people who know their sinfulness, but are quick to come to Jesus.

He offers full and complete forgiveness.

When John says if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

When we consider our faith, we need to realize that we all sin.

We will all fail as Christians.

This morning I failed.

I was annoyed because I wasn't getting here on time.

I got angry at Becky.

I had to repent in the car.

I'm sorry for getting angry.

We all fail.

We all fall.

Maybe you're here today and you believe Christians are people who are just morally better than those around them.

That being a Christian is a matter of just checking boxes, doing the right thing.

That's not true.

We are broken.

We are just as sinful, just as in need of Christ Jesus grace and forgiveness.

The difference is, as Christians, we recognize sin for what it is.

We know that sin is what separates us from God, from others.

Sin is what brings us death, not physically but spiritually.

We recognize our need for our Savior regularly.

The fact is, when we give in to temptation, when we go after false joys of this world, whether it's sex, money, success, whatever it is, it always leaves us wanting more.

When we seek what is created to give us what only the Creator can give, we will always feel the void of emptiness, knowing that it can never truly satisfy.

The question for us is not whether we sin as Christians.

You will sin.

That's a fact.

But rather, what do we do when we sin?

How do you respond?

Do you come back to Jesus Christ with a humble and contrite heart, knowing and accepting his grace and forgiveness is sufficient for you?

This is what Paul is longing for them.

That they would hear his warning.

Because if they do not, he will not spare them.

He will show that though they have thought him to be weak, Christ is not weak.

That in Christ, with the power of God, he will exercise his authority.

Look at verse 4.

For he was crucified in weakness, speaking of Jesus, but lives by the power of God.

For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you, we will live with him by the power of God.

Paul's weakness in his suffering that he has gone through, just as Christ suffered.

But the power in which he will deal with these unrepentant people is from God, not himself.

That as a man who has been set apart by God, he will exercise his authority, not because of who he is or in his own power, but in the power and authority of God himself.

Sin is not to be treated lightly, brother, sister, in Christ.

God does not call people to himself to then go on sinning and living for ourselves.

The gospel is a gospel that transforms.

And that is good news for us.

It changes us, changes our desires, and makes us more like Jesus.

Slowly and surely.

The warning cry from Paul is for them to turn.

In life as Christians, we should expect one another, our brothers and sisters in Christ to love us enough to speak like Paul speaks to these Christians.

As a church family, we want to be like this.

If you are challenged in your sin by a brother or sister, don't jump towards self-justification.

I know how easy that is.

Don't jump to just attacking them.

But listen.

Hear what they have to actually say.

And if they actually say and and do it in a loving way and show in light of the gospel how you are not living in line with the gospel, count that as a blessing toward you.

That you might have someone love you in that way.

Brother, sister, we need to realize the danger of sin.

Sin wants to deceive us.

Satan himself wants you to believe that it is okay, that it will not harm you, that it's not going to be an issue for you.

Hear the warning of James.

Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.

Then desire, when it is conceived, gives birth to sin.

And sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death.

We can't play around with sin.

But rather we put sin to death by the power of the Spirit that is within us.

We pray, we confess, we run toward Jesus.

We seek help from faithful brothers and sisters.

Pray with me, pray for me, help me in this.

As Christians, we need to see we have a responsibility toward one another.

If we see sin in the life of our brother or sister in Christ, then we should, in love with gentleness, expose it.

I know it's not easy or simple, it can be very daunting.

But you are not loving your brother and sister in Christ if you say nothing.

That is self-love.

If you saw someone blindfolded, headed toward the edge of a cliff, would you just stand there or would you not cry out, stop, come this way?

You would do everything in your power to bring them back from the edge.

Do not think sin is not similar.

Sin blinds us.

There are areas that we all do not see in our lives, and we need loving brothers and sisters to help us in this.

It is the most loving thing to expose sin for what it is.

Now let's be clear.

This isn't me saying we become sin detectives.

So someone puts down a cup harshly.

Ooh, I think they're suffering with anger here.

No, that's not how we're functioning.

It's not that you're trying to just see where sin is in that way.

We need to realize that love should cover a multitude of sins as well.

That there are times when we can love and we can forgive.

But we need to address sin when there is consistent sin, when it is damaging, when it is going to be exposed by the gospel.

We want to do it with love, grace, humility, gentleness to expose that sin.

Because if we love Jesus, we will love one another.

We will love one another and we will say what is hard.

Just like Paul for these Christians, we will warn one another.

Paul desires them to also pass the test.

Look at verse 5.

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith.

Test yourselves.

Or do you not realize this about yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you?

As Paul warns them, he challenges them to examine themselves.

That for Christians, the fact is our faith is to be tested.

That we do not just say we are Christians, but rather our lives are shaped by our faith.

For these Christians, the test itself is their response to Paul.

Not because of Paul himself, but because of what Paul has been saying.

That the challenge that has been put before them is the gospel itself.

It is the call to repentance and faith.

And if they are truly to show themselves to belong to Christ Jesus, then they will repent and turn once again in faith.

Look at his desire for them in verse 7.

We pray that to God that you may not do wrong.

End of verse 7, but that you may do what is right.

The way they are living is not against Paul, but against God.

It could be easy for them to believe that they would begin to act in a certain way, motivated by wanting to please Paul, by not wanting to face him.

I wonder whether sometimes maybe that's true for you.

That actually the change that happens is because someone has said something and you just want to make them happy.

But the fact is, true gospel change is a life that orientates around Jesus.

That we do not change to be seen by others, but rather we long to be like Jesus Himself.

We are not called to conformity toward one another.

We are called to be transformed, transformed into the likeness, into the image of Christ Jesus Himself.

The one who is our example, the one who shows us what a true human should be.

Because the ability to change is not in us.

Verse 5: Do you not realize this about yourself that Jesus Christ is in you?

It would be a mistake for us to hear this language of testing and think Paul is desiring these Christians to just meet his standard or to view God in a way that God just desires you to meet this standard.

The gospel does not say that, the Bible does not declare that.

The reality is no one can meet God's standard.

That is the truth of the gospel.

His perfect standard.

No one can live in complete obedience to him.

Yet the beauty and the glory of the gospel is not just that Jesus Himself meets our need, God's standard, and pays our debt, but that he himself and because of him we are able to live our lives in line with God's desire and design.

We do not battle sin in our own efforts and strength, but rather through the power of Jesus, who dwells within us by the Holy Spirit.

Christianity is focusing on Christ Himself for a good reason.

Because without him we are helpless.

Without him, we are destined to fail, time and time again.

For me, this truth, the truth of the gospel, is something I need to know in the depths of my being.

For most of my life I have lived and believed the gospel, yet I think for many years as a Christian, I functioned and lived with a legalistic view of my faith.

That I knew I was only saved through my faith in Jesus.

But when confronted with my sin, I was crippled.

I was overcome with guilt and shame, and not in a right way.

There can be a right way of feeling the guilt and the shame of our sin, but rather I thought I needed to work my way back up the holy points ranking system.

As though I was now in this moment less loved by God, less forgiven, less accepted, less righteous.

But the beauty of the gospel, the glory of the gospel is that Christ died for sinners.

Christ died for you at your worst, that he is not shocked when you fail, when you fall.

When we fall into sin, do not allow sin to warp the truth of the gospel for you.

The truth that says your need in that moment is met by his life, death, and resurrection.

That you need not delay in repenting of your sin, but rush into his loving arms, knowing he died for you.

Not the you that others see, but the full depths of who you are, every bit of your sin.

And he declares you to be his.

Brother, sister, our faith is seen both in our fruit, when we are living in line with the gospel, but also in our rebellion.

When we fall and fail, we turn in repentance and faith toward our gracious Savior, praying and seeking that he would grow us in godliness by the power that is at work within us, as we rejoice in restoration.

That is what Paul is desperate for.

Look then at the end of verse 9.

Your restoration is what we pray for.

For this reason, I write these things while I am away from you.

When we read all that Paul has said, we need to know his heart for this church.

His goal is not to be recognized by them, to be seen as important or significant.

His goal is not that they will be crushed and feel really bad about the way in which they've acted and behaved and treated him.

No, his goal is for their restoration.

That they once again might know the unity with their Lord and Savior, that they might know the beauty of their relationship with Paul restored, that church discipline has been given for a set purpose, and that is restoration.

That as people who sin, we need to realize our God is gracious.

And patient.

He longs for our flourishing.

And he does not treat us as we deserve.

He does not get tired of forgiving us.

He does not get tired of us falling down.

But he longs time and time again to know his restoration.

That when we as brothers and sisters seek to call and address sin in one another, it should always be a heart, a longing of gospel restoration to take place.

In no way is Paul eager to bring discipline to those who are sinning.

It is clear throughout what he has been saying.

Look down again.

Your restoration is what we pray for.

For this reason, I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come, I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord has given me.

It is important that when we consider the discipline that Paul wants to bring here, how patient he has been.

But the longing is that it would not come to that.

The longing is that the gospel would have its effect and repentance of faith would be felt and recognized.

That restoration would be rejoiced in.

Restoration should be commonplace among us.

That when we see sin in the life of our brother and sister, when we have been sinned against, that does not give us license to just be like, well, that relationship's dead.

No, the gospel has power to make enemies brothers in Christ, sisters in Christ.

This is the power of the gospel.

The gospel has the power to bring restoration, reconciliation within the most difficult relationships.

This is Paul's heart.

As I consider this passage and the radical nature of the gospel, I was reminded of a story.

Cori Temboom, some of you may know her, lived during World War II.

She and her family rescued Jews in Holland from the Nazis.

Eventually they were arrested and taken away.

Cori and her sister Betsy were brought to Ravensbrook.

Her sister sadly died there, but Corrie survived.

She was a Christian woman with an incredible faith.

She told people her story of God's forgiveness of sins and of the need for people to forgive those who had harmed them.

Corrie herself was put to the test in 1947 when she was speaking in a Munich church.

At the close of the service, a balding man in a grey overcoat stepped forward to greet her.

Cori froze.

She knew this man well.

He'd been one of the most vicious guards at Ravensbrook.

One who had mocked the women prisoners as they showered.

It came back to me with a rush, she wrote.

And now he was pushing his hand out to shake hers and saying, A fine message, Freulein.

How good it is to know that as you say, all our sin are at the bottom of the sea.

And I know who had spoken so glibly of forgiveness, fumbled in my pocketbook rather than take that hand.

He would not remember me, of course.

How could he remember one prisoner among those thousands of women?

But I remembered him.

And the leather crop swinging from his belt, I was face to face with one of my captors, and my blood seemed to freeze.

You mentioned Ravensbrook in your talk, he was saying.

But since that time, he went on, I have become a Christian.

I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there.

But I would like to hear it from your lips as well, Freulein.

Again the hand came out.

Will you forgive me?

And I stood there.

I whose sin had again and again been forgiven and could not forgive.

Betsy had died in that place.

Could he erase her slow and terrible death simply for the asking?

The soldier stood there expectantly, waiting for Cory to shake his hand.

I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do, for I had to do it.

I knew that.

The message of God forgives has a prior condition that we forgive those who have injured us.

Standing there before the former SS man, Cory remembered forgiveness is an act of the will, not an emotion.

Jesus help me, she prayed.

I can lift my hand, I can do that much.

You supply the feeling.

Corey thrust out her hand, and as I did, an incredible thing took place.

The current started in my shoulders, raced down my arms, sprang into our joined hands, and then the healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes.

I forgive you, brother, I cried with all my heart.

This is an incredible story.

An unimaginable situation, but a situation that displays the truth and the power of the gospel.

The power of restoration, the power of reconciliation.

And Paul pleads with this church.

He himself knows that the gospel holds power, that he wants to rejoice in restoration.

As people who know and love Jesus, restoration should be our longing.

Our longing for those we love, our longing for those who sin against us, our longing for the many who do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior, our longing for those who hate us and mistreat us.

To be people who gladly show forgiveness when we are wronged.

To embrace our need for forgiveness.

The countless times each day that we are forgiven by our Savior should help us to both rejoice in the gospel and be ready and willing to display that gospel to those around us.

Maybe you're here today and you have been trapped in sin for some time.

You've been unwilling to repent, turn in faith to your Savior.

Hear this plea that you would embrace the restoration Christ Jesus has won for you.

That you would not allow sin to continue to control you.

Sin that will only bring death to you.

Rejoice in the restoration of the gospel.

Shout for joy in the goodness of your Savior.

Let us not be people who treat sin lightly.

But let us be people who seek to warn and hear the warning of brothers and sisters in Christ.

Let us be people who live lives of faith and repentance, displaying the work of Christ in us.

Knowing it is only in his power we are being able to be transformed, not in our efforts.

Let us be people who rejoice in restoration, who delight.

When we see a brother and sister restored in the faith, only Jesus Christ can do this.

So let us hold closely to him.

Let me pray.

Loving Father, I thank you for the wonder, the beauty, the glory of your gospel.

I thank you that you make dead people come to life.

And I pray as we consider this word, your word, that we would be people who would not treat our sin lightly, but we would be people who would rush towards you.

When we fall and fail, we would be eager to turn in repentance and faith.

I pray now from brothers and sisters maybe here today or watching, that if they are struggling, if they have been wrestling with a sin and just have not turned in repentance and faith, please I pray, would they now, even in this moment, turn in repentance and faith and know that you are the most satisfying thing.

You are the one they need.

I thank you that it is in your power that we are able to be transformed and because of your gospel, in your beautiful name I pray.

Amen.