The Bedrock of Ministry

Second Corinthians, and no, I
have not lost my mind. We’re not going to take another
hiatus, just a brief one from our hiatus in Philippians, which
is actually a hiatus from Luke. This is just a temporary thing.
Several weeks ago, Trey and I sat down and we Started to consider
what we might do for our 10 year anniversary, and we purpose to
have a number of the men in the church preach, John and Trey
and Kevin. And just toward that end, we
wanted to kind of establish a theme or a direction for our time together,
not all preaching on the same passage, although that would
be fun. But to kind of pick a theme and
the theme that we settled on was appropriately the church. And I cheated, because in a sense,
this isn’t a passage explicitly about the church, although the
church certainly is involved, but it is a passage that is about
ministry. And so I plead my case. As you know, I’ve alluded to
this passage a number of times, I’ve never preached it, but I
have addressed this section repeatedly throughout my ministry. I’ve told you before that this
is one of the passages that is just so crucial for an understanding
of the Christian ministry. Typically, we think of the pastoral
epistles, 1st and 2nd Timothy and Titus as being the totality
of what God would say to those who shepherd the church. But
this section is as equally important as any of the pastoral epistles.
The section that I allude to is contained in chapters two,
three, 4, 5, 6, and if you would turn to 2 Corinthians
chapter 6. In 2 Corinthians chapter 6, I
just want you to glance down briefly at verse 11, where Paul
says to the Corinthians, our mouth has spoken freely to you. And with that, the reason I point
you to that particular section is that with that Paul, in essence,
turns the page. Up to this point, largely, he
has been talking about the Christian ministry. And now, finally, in
verse 11 of chapter 6, Paul turns his attention to the Corinthians
themselves. Because if you look back to chapter
6, verse 1, where the sentence begins with and, it connects
the thoughts with those of 2 Corinthians 5, 20 and 21, the message of
the Christian ministry, the gospel. And if you look at verse 20 of
that chapter, verse 5, you see that it begins with therefore,
which points backwards and tied to the thoughts of 5.11 through
19. In that section, you have the
motivation for ministry, the fear of the Lord. But if you
look at that passage and you look at verse 11, you have a
therefore which builds upon the thoughts of 5.1 through 10. that
sojourning in the ministry that Paul talks about tent camping,
as it were, in the land. And if you look at that verse
and you begin in verse one, the verse begins with four, which
provides the reasonings for the thoughts that are contained in
chapter four, verse 16 and 18. I think you see where I’m going. Chapter sixteen points backwards,
therefore points backwards to four, seven through fifteen.
Chapter four, verse seven, but contrast the words of chapter
four, verses one through six, the character of the ministry.
Chapter four, verse one, therefore, plays upon the thoughts that
are contained in chapter three, verses twelve through eighteen.
Chapter three, verse twelve, therefore, develops the thoughts
of chapter three, verse one through eleven, the calling and the equipping
of ministry. Chapter three, verse one issues
a rhetorical question built upon the verse. Chapter two, verses
twelve through seventeen. Which are the foundations of
ministry. And this is where it all begins. Chapter two. Verse 12 is the beginning of
that great section on the Christian ministry, and it’s there that
I would have us turn this morning. I would suggest a title for this
section, because this is the beginning, I would suggest the
title of the foundations or the bedrock of ministry. This is where it begins. This
is where it begins for Paul. And in this, Paul gives us five
foundational components of the gospel ministry. Read along with
me, if you would, beginning in verse 12. Now, when I came to
Troas for the gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for
me in the Lord, I had no rest for my spirit, not finding Titus,
my brother, but taking leave of them, I went on to Macedonia.
But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ
and manifest through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him
in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ
to God among those who are being saved and among those who are
perishing to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other
an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these
things? For we are not like many. peddling the word of God, but
as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the
sight of God. I would suggest to you that in
this section, which begins a greater section on the Christian ministry
in his opening words, Paul gives us the foundation. And as I’ve
suggested, he’ll go on to talk about the character of ministry.
He’ll go on to talk about the message of ministry. He’ll go
on to talk about the struggles and difficulties of ministry.
He’ll go on to talk about the sustaining grace of God in the
ministry. But here in this section, he
wants to establish the foundation. What is the bedrock of Christian
ministry? I’ve suggested that there are
five elements. First of all, the gospel ministry
is built upon God’s sovereign providence. God’s sovereign providence. Now, look it again at verse 12.
Now, when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ and when
a door was opened for me in the Lord. Tell you about Paul’s situation. This is second Corinthians. Paul
had already written first Corinthians, which was considered a harsh
letter. Paul addressed the sins that
were just almost unthinkable in many cases. Paul addressed
doctrinal issues that were just fundamental and in a sense, couldn’t
believe that he was having to address of those who should have
known better. And in that sense, it was perceived
to be harsh. And Paul here in 2 Corinthians
is waiting for some kind of a news, some kind of news, some kind
of feedback, some kind of knowledge of repentance on behalf of the
Corinthians. Paul was anxious. And we certainly
know that as shepherds in the ministry, sometimes you need
to address things that are difficult and sometimes you’re not sure
exactly where they’re going to go. Generally speaking, in the
ministry, I’ve experienced a great blessing of seeing men and women
in the midst of sin repent and turn and call out for God’s grace
and receive it and be mightily helped. But it doesn’t always
work that way. And Paul wasn’t presumptuous.
Paul didn’t know which way the Corinthians were going to turn.
And because of that, he was quite anxious. Paul says, now, when I came to
Troas, Troas, the city about four miles from ancient Troy,
a very important traffic route between Europe and Asia. No doubt
it was a strategic stop on Paul’s part. It was a beautiful, splendorous
city, a place of considerable importance, as I’ve suggested,
in constant commercial relations with other cities such as Macedonia
and Greece. This is a very important city.
And Paul knew that if he could get the gospel there, that the
gospel would spread in every direction. Paul had come through Troas at
least once before. On his second missionary journey,
Acts 16, it records that on that particular visit, apparently
Paul didn’t establish a church there. But if you read your Bibles
in the book of Acts, later on, Paul goes back through Troas
in Acts chapter 20. And there is a church established
there at that point. And so what is quite likely is
that this is the visit where Paul establishes the church at
Troas. And it isn’t even recorded in
Acts. And that makes this section of Scripture quite crucial. Paul
does speak of an open door, and we have every reason to believe
that this is the very moment when the church is planted. And
I can tell you, I was drawn into this passage as I reviewed all
of this great section, chapters two through six of Second Corinthians. I kept being drawn back to this
passage because of its parallels with our own situation. Paul had hoped to meet Titus
here in Troas. He had sent Titus to Corinth
to just kind of get news and, you know, kind of take the temperature.
How were they feeling towards Paul? How were they feeling towards
the things that he had addressed? Had they repented? And so Paul is anxiously awaiting
news. And it says that when he came
to Troas for the gospel of Christ, that was his main purpose. That’s
what Paul did wherever Paul went. Paul never went to go on vacation. Paul never went to take a retreat.
Paul never went for any purpose of his own. Paul went for the
gospel of Christ. That’s why he was there. His
primary object was to preach the gospel of Christ. And it says that when I came
to Troas for the gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for
me in the Lord. Those are powerful words. We came praying that God would
open a door for us. We came hoping that there was
opportunity here and that the Lord might establish a church.
We never presumed upon it. I can remember rattling sabers
with one of the church growth people that suggested to me that
I hadn’t done any demographic studies and that was quite unwise.
And I can remember looking at him and I said, well, I’m pretty
sure that there are some sinners in Fort Collins. Paul uses this imagery of the
open door often. Luke records in Acts 14, 27,
that when they had arrived and gathered the church together,
they began to report the things that God had done with them and
how he had opened a door of faith. It takes God to open the door.
We can go in response to what God wants us to do. We can even
go in our own flesh But unless God opens the door, there will
be no work established. Paul told the Corinthians when
he addressed them in the first letter, 1 Corinthians 16, he
told them that a wide door for effective service is open for
me. Pardon me, to the Colossians,
Paul issued one little prayer request. One little prayer request
to the Colossians when he said, that He would have them to be
praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open
us a door. That God would open us a door
for the Word so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ.
In every case that’s recorded here, it’s God that opens the
door, not man. Not people, not people with superior
talents and skills and oratory. That’s not at all the case. It’s
God that opens the door. And when God opens the door,
it’s not for the sake of the ministers, it’s not for the sake
of those evangelists that bring the gospel, it’s for the sake
of those who are behind the door. That need to work. That open
door speaks of an excellent opening for missionary works that won
a divinely prepared opportunity. I love that. I’ll tell you tonight in a little
more detail how we even came to the name Providence Bible
Church, and it’s quite a story. You want to get your tickets
afterwards. This kind of door. Really, just
Paul is talking about the opportunity to labor successfully in the
Lord’s service. And he said he had a wide open
opportunity. But that door has a twofold effect.
It enables the evangelist or those bringing the gospel to
enter with the message of the gospel, and it makes possible
the entry of that message into the minds and the hearts of the
hearers. And Paul said, I had this wide open, golden opportunity
at Troas. And what he means by that is
that there were people receiving what he had to say. Paul knew
adversity. And if Paul wanted to even just
indicate that adversity continued, he would have just all he would
have had to do is be silent and we would have known that Troas
was not unlike so many cities where Paul went, where they just
didn’t want the gospel, but not this place. He’s having this incredible ministry.
And yet, He’s restless. He’s anxious. Look at verse 13.
I had no rest for my spirit. I certainly know those days.
Trey now is beginning to discover those days as anyone who shepherds
in the church. That anxiousness that comes with
the gospel ministry, and that was where we find Paul. Paul
couldn’t get away from this intense anxiety that he had for the question
of the Corinthians, and it was even as it were, damning up ministry,
stalling out his efforts, even though he had this wide open
door. All because he couldn’t find
Titus with this news. Paul had expected to find Titus
and his failure seemed to be robbing him of the work of the
gospel ministry. And Paul goes on to tell us that
he couldn’t even endure remaining there. He couldn’t wait around
any longer. Here he has people, in a sense, thronging to his
ministry, listening to his message, coming to Christ, applying God’s
grace in their lives, growing in the Lord. And Paul says, you
know what? Look, I’ve got to go. It’s a shocking passage. Later on, it says taking leave
of them and that taking leave means to bid farewell, in a sense,
with unfinished work. It’s an interruption. And we certainly know interruptions. When we left seminary, we purposed
to go and establish ourselves in a place in a community and
to stay there for a long, long time, and the Lord just didn’t,
just wasn’t the case. We didn’t intend to be migrants. We didn’t intend to be vagabonds
that wandered the country. But that’s how things worked
out. And we know what it’s like to
have to take leave. We know what it’s like to have to pull up
roots just like Paul did. And it’s painful no matter where
we’ve been. Barb and I have come up with
this approach and we’ve shared it with many people whenever
people move and relocate. So no matter where you go, there’s
going to be benefits and drawbacks and you’ve got to just enjoy
the benefits and make the best of the drawbacks. But no matter
where we’ve been, We felt that sense of taking leave of being
plucked out out of due season. And so, first of all, the ministry
of the gospel is entirely dependent upon God’s sovereign providence,
and Paul had that open door. But secondly. The ministry of the gospel is
built upon the promise of absolute victory. Look again at. Verse 13, I had
no rest for my spirit, not finding Titus, my brother, but taking
my leave of them. I went on to Macedonia, but thanks
be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ. And you
can’t look at this and say, you know, see, Paul established a
successful and flourishing church. I don’t think that Paul is talking
about that at all. This triumph in Christ, I don’t
think has anything to do with our earthly circumstances. Paul
just is referring to his great calling in Christ and the service
and the knowledge that one day he would be with the Lord for
eternity. He breaks out into this sudden thanksgiving to God
that almost sounds like a pat on the back for having planted
this church. It’s not at all what he’s talking
about. I would call this the golden principle of the gospel
ministry, that there is for us as Christians, eventual and absolute
victory. For the Christian in this life,
there is eventual and absolute victory. Because as I began to
look at this, I began to wonder, is this only for Paul? Is Paul
saying only us as apostles, only me as a minister of the gospel?
Only me is the great evangelist and church planter of the first
century. Is it only for me, Paul? I don’t think that’s at all what
Paul said. If you look at his words and
take them literally, God always leads us in triumph in Christ. If we are in Christ, that triumph,
that ultimate success and victory is ours. Yours and mine in addition
to Paul’s and the apostles’. And even though we suffer all
kinds of setbacks and difficulties and discouragement, believers’
ultimate triumph is certain. What Paul was saying was that,
look, the Lord called me there. He gave me an open door. And
yet, even in departing with a broken heart, I know that one day I
will win because I’m in Christ. Even in the face of earthly difficulties,
defeat, struggle, frustration, that’s what keeps us putting
one foot in front of the other, doesn’t it? Matthew records Jesus’ words
in this same regard with regards to the church. You are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades
will not overpower it, about which we sung in our first hymn
this morning. There is eventual victory for the church, but the
church in the world is going to look like it’s constantly
languishing. Two steps forward, one step back at the very best. Paul is talking about the ultimate
triumphs and the imagery that he has is what was called the
Roman triumph. The Roman triumph was celebrated
by generals when they returned from a campaign of battle. And
if they were victorious, there was a great parade that marched
right down through the city streets. The general came in in a chariot
and in front of him were the captives and the spoils that
they had taken from whatever town they conquered. And he was
followed. They rather were followed by
his troops all the way to the main square of the city. The apostle probably saw a number
of those triumphant entries of various generals, and it’s that
that he has in mind and he says, you know what? Christ is leading us in triumph
and one day we will waltz into the great square of heaven. That’s
the imagery that he puts forth. As one said it, the remembrance
of the victory of God’s cause at Corinth and others led him
to think of the triumph of the gospel generally and of the very
subordinate but glorious share which missionaries have in that
triumph. He thinks of the progress as
a magnificent procession moving onwards through the world. That’s
the image. He says, you know what, service in Christ is enough. We will triumph eventually, but
that doesn’t guarantee earthly success in the here and now.
Even in ministry. The church, Christ said, the
gates of hell won’t prevail against it, but for Providence Bible
Church, what does that mean? One of the first messages that
I ever preached here was from the passage that John preached
from last week, Ephesians 3.20-21, which goes very clearly to say
that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we
ask or think. And that is true. God is able, but God is not obligated. And we cannot judge earthly success
by where God is. We will ultimately triumph But
in the here and now, it will look like struggle many, many
times and we have known struggle, haven’t we? Nevertheless, the
ultimate promise of triumph is ours and the ministry of the
gospel rests secondly on the promise of absolute victory.
It is enough just to be serving Christ. We don’t have to have
the biggest church. We don’t have to have the most
number of people in Fort Collins. We don’t have to have a big,
beautiful sanctuary of our own. It’s enough to serve because
we know that victory is in Christ and it’s absolute and eventual. Thirdly, the ministry of the
gospel is built not only on God’s sovereign providence and the
promise of absolute victory. But thirdly, the ministry of
the gospel is built upon representation of Christ. It’s a frightening
thing sometimes when people go out and so-called evangelize
or at the very most, they share with somebody and all they promote
is their church. Honestly, I could care less if
you tell people, if you’re talking to them about the Lord, I could
care less if you tell them about Providence Bible Church, except
until the very end, you can invite them. Don’t sell the church. Let God sell the church. You
tell them about the Lord. Look back again at the passage,
if you would. In verse 14, Paul says, but thanks be to God who
always leads us in triumph in Christ. And get this, manifest
through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every
place. You know what that means? We smell
good. As Christians, we smell good to the world, we smell good
to those who do not know Christ and we smell good everywhere
we go just by the fact that God has saved us, the fact that he’s
changing our life. Look at the passage. When Paul
says manifest, that little word manifest is used six times in
this great ministry section that I’ve introduced you to. Chapters
two through six, that word manifest is used six times. That’s a lot. What Paul is implying there is
that God is always working through us. That it’s not about us. It isn’t because of us. It isn’t
due to anything but the manifold grace of God coursing through
us. Not because of our talent. It’s
not because of where we went to seminary. It’s not because
of who we are or how we look or who we know. God manifests through us the
sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. Now, that idea of the Roman triumph
is still prominent. Paul loves this imagery. Paul loves to stay with these
images that he brings into his writings. And that image is still
prominent. You see, when the general was
brought into the town square, the town square was adorned with
all manner of flowers and the burning of incense. It was supposed
to be a total assault on the senses so that everything that
you saw and everything that you heard, the trumpets blasting,
the people chanting, the beautiful garlands of flowers and the beautiful
smell. That’s what Paul has in mind.
But Paul, in using this illustration, is talking about the knowledge
of Christ. That’s what he says. The knowledge
of him. The knowledge of Christ, who
as one said, to know is life eternal, is manifested like a
pervading fragrance through his servants wherever they go. The operation is completely of
God. It is God who leads his servant
in triumph and it is God who manifest the scent of the knowledge
of Christ. Paul is nothing but the vessel
or the instrument through whom the fragrance is released. Of course, there is biblical
imagery, sacrificial imagery to this aroma that wafts towards
the heavens. Exodus 29, 18, a burnt offering
to the Lord, a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the Lord. Leviticus 1.9, the priest shall
offer up smoke of it on the altar for a burnt offering and an offering
of fire, a soothing aroma to the Lord. That’s biblical imagery. But also, this imagery that Paul
knew was so well known to the Greek culture that when this
Roman general was paraded in. These clouds of incense literally
arose all along the route. And Paul says it’s not unlike
the gospel ministry, where the knowledge of Christ is constantly
going forth, imparting one by one to another, as it were, until
all get a sense and a smell of the sweet smell of the gospel. said one, God makes manifest
through the labors of his ministers, the fragrance which a knowledge
of Christ who reveals him always brings. The metaphor of fragrance
suggests the penetrating strength of the revelation and the delight
which it brings to those who receive it. In other words, as
you begin to live in this world, you cannot not have this scent
of the gospel. That fragrance, that odor of
the gospel, if you will, speaks of influence. It permeates the
air. It goes and touches everyone. Paul’s point is that God, in
His condescension, in His love and grace and mercy, manifests
through believers The sweet aroma of the knowledge of Christ. He
uses human preachers such as us to give off this sweet aroma
of the gospel so that others may be influenced by the saving
knowledge of Christ. It’s an overwhelming thought
that we that we simple people like us are representatives of
Christ. Paul will go on in this great
section to call us ambassadors. Try that the next time you’re
on the plane. Somebody asks you what you do, just tell them I’m
an ambassador. I’m an ambassador for Christ. Conversation may be over there,
but you may also be removed from the plane. Look at verse 15. Paul stays with this imagery.
He can’t let go of it. It manifests through us the sweet
aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place, for we are a
fragrance of Christ to God. You know, first and foremost,
the first one to enjoy this aroma of Christ is God. God wants to
see you duplicated in Christ. God wants to see you Christ-like. God wants to see you saved and
sanctified. And He’s the first one to enjoy
the aroma. That metaphor is the same, the
sweet scent of the gospel is used here in a different way
to express the work of those who preach the gospel and live
the gospel, that in spreading that fragrance and the fragrance
of the gospel, they themselves are a fragrance to God. It’s
a beautiful image. But note, it’s the fragrance
of Christ. It comes from Him because it’s
He whom Christians preach. It’s the fragrance of Christ. I’ll put it this way. Some time
ago, I saw a delivery man with, I think, two dozen roses. The
guy walked in smelling like roses. But it wasn’t him that smelled. the beautiful aroma of these
roses that he was carrying and delivering. I’ll put it another
way. Ladies, I don’t know where you
put your perfume. But from time to time, I will
have to go to a funeral and you go and you greet everybody and
you come across so-and-so and you greet dear Aunt Mabel. And you come away and my wife
and I have come up with a term for it. Slimed. I don’t know where you put your
perfume. I don’t know the brand. I just know that throughout the
next day or week or until I have the suit cleaned, I bear the
fragrant aroma of dear Aunt Mabel. And we as Christians, that’s
the image. It isn’t us that the world smells.
They’re not looking to smell you. They’re not looking to see
how neat you are and what kind of a family you come from and
what your degree is in, what you know. They want to know and
they need to know so desperately Christ, they sense the smell
of Christ and they want to know Him. We, said one, as Christians in
our work of preaching are acceptable to God. Whatever may be the result
of our labors, it is well pleasing to God. Whatever be the effect
of whatever it produces, the gospel and those who preach it
are both well pleasing to God. God is the first one that catches
a whiff of the beautiful air of Christ. But he’s not the only one. Look
again at verse 15. For we are a fragrance of Christ
to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.
To the one, an aroma from death to death. To the other, an aroma from life
to life. And as a pastor, this is one
of the most frightening and solemn truths in all of Scripture. that as the Puritans used to
say, if God’s Word doesn’t quicken, it must deaden. Do you know how
dangerous it is to even be here this morning? To listen? And the most frightening thing
is to come and to listen passively? To come and to take it in, but to
not take it in? It builds up a callous on your
heart to where one day it just bounces right off. That’s why
it’s so important that you go and you apply the word. When
we contemplated what we might do at Olive Tree with the high
schoolers and their devotion, one of the things I purpose to
do is ask them, what did you hear at church and how did you
apply it? Do you know how dangerous the
material is that you sat under this past week? That if it does
not enliven, if it doesn’t call you closer to God, it will push
you further away. The focus of the gospel in this
passage is that it is never preached in vain. It will have its effect. It will
do its job. There’s nothing wrong with the
gospel. I walked in on Kevin’s class this past week and he was
talking about the parable of the soils. There’s nothing wrong
with the seed. The problem is the heart. The
problem is the soil. And if God’s word doesn’t quicken,
it will deaden. One said it this way, as Christ
is to some a tried and cornerstone choice and precious, the rock
of their salvation to others, He is a stone of offense. The
gospel and its preachers are the cause of life to some. And the cause of death to others
and to all, they are either the one or the other. The Word of
God is quick and powerful, either to save or to destroy. It cannot
be neutral. If it does not save, it destroys.
If a man rejects the gospel, it had been far better for him
to have never heard it. The gospel, no wonder Paul said
to the Corinthians, the word of the cross is foolishness to
those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it
is the power of God. How can it be the two people
receive it completely differently? That was an illustration repeatedly
used by the rabbis. They knew the nature of God’s
word. They had a saying that went like
this, even as the bee brings sweetness to its master, but
stings others. So also the words of the law
are a saving odor to the Israelites, but a deadly odor to the Gentiles.
They almost had it right. We are a fragrance of Christ
to God among those who are being saved, an aroma from life to
life. Christ and his gospel and therefore
his servants are to believers the source of life. I mean, is
that not motivation to open our mouths and to tell people about
the Lord? But we are also to unbelievers a source of death
and in that In that there’s part of us that wants to just go back
and sit on the couch, doesn’t it? Among those who are perishing
in a Roma from death to death. Scripture is complete here, this
isn’t a new thought, this isn’t a unique thought. Isaiah 55 says
it this way, as the rain and the snow come down from heaven.
And do not return there without watering the earth. and making
it bear and sprout and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to
the eater. God has a design for rain and it will fulfill its
purpose, even if there’s too much of it. So will my word be. Which goes
forth from my mouth, it will not return to me empty without
accomplishing what I desire and without succeeding in the matter
for which I sent it. And what you have is most people
thinking that every time the gospel is preached, it’s going
to have a saving effect. If all we can do is get him into
church and get him to listen to the gospel, they’ll be saved.
No problem. But it doesn’t give us that kind
of a promise there. It doesn’t give us that promised
success in that sense. It says the word will accomplish
what God purposed for it. But it may very well be a deadening
purpose. Regardless of how the aroma is
received into the nostrils of people, we are a fragrance of
Christ to them and to God. The ministry of the gospel rests
on the influence of Christ. Fourthly, The ministry of the gospel is
built upon God’s sovereign providence, the promise of absolute victory,
the representation of Christ and fourthly, selfless humility. I was talking with a couple of
men the other day and suggesting a particular ministry to one
who doubted his qualification, and I said, bingo, that’s the
qualification. The feeling in your heart that
you’re not worthy or you’re not ready or you’re not adequate
for such a task. Bingo. That’s the quality. Who
is adequate for these things, Paul says, he’s absolutely stunned
at the thought of what he’s just written. You mean to tell me,
God, that you’re going to send me out as a fragrant aroma and
to some I’m going to be an aroma from life to life and from some
I’m going to be an aroma from death to death. How can I do
that? I’m not qualified for that. God says, you’re right. You’re
right. That if this work is so stupendous,
if eternal life and eternal death hang in the balance. At the preaching
of the gospel, who on Earth is sufficient for such a calling?” And the question is rhetorical.
The question is obvious. Nobody. Nobody is adequate for
that. Nobody is in and of themselves
worthy to go around giving life to some and death to others.
Nobody. One said it this way, how can
any frail, infallible mortal fail to be conscious of his own
utter inadequacy? when charged with such a stupendous
responsibility. No one is adequate with human
ability to render this kind of service to Almighty God. Paul
wasn’t adequate in himself. The next verse goes on to tell
us that Paul’s adequacy was that he spoke the word of God. He was merely a conduit. And he did it in God’s full view.
You know what this is reminiscent of for me? It’s reminiscent of
the firing squad. You know, in a firing squad,
not all of them are loaded. Usually only one rifle and they
all aim at the heart. Some of them have blanks. Only
one has a real bullet. And when they pull the trigger,
no one knows who took the life. It’s a mercy because of the weight
of that very thought that I’m the one that just took this soul’s
life. It’s the very thought for Paul
when he says, who on earth is adequate for this? How can I
go out with a message? It’s going to be. It’s one thing
to bring life to some, but to bring death, eternal death. I can’t bear it. Paul knew that there was nothing
inherently in him that equipped him to disseminate a message
that had the capacity both to heal and kill, to awaken some
for heaven and dead and others to hell. Such a realization for
the natural mind would be impossible to bear. Paul was no better than
anyone else. No true true servant of God is.
None of us are adequate. None. Paul will take up this question
later, but for now, he defers the answer. But in chapter three,
verse five, he comes full circle and he says, I’ll tell you what
makes me adequate. Not that we are adequate in ourselves
to consider anything as coming from ourselves. But our adequacy
is from God. That’s what equips me to be able
to go out. That’s what equips me to go and bear the fragrance
of Christ to the world. God made me adequate. God put
me in service, Paul says. Ministry of the Gospel. I suggest
it has five foundational components found in this section. It is
built upon God’s sovereign providence, the promise of the absolute victory,
the representation of Christ, selfless humility and fifthly,
the ministry of the gospel is built upon the proclamation of
God’s word. Look again at the passage. But
thanks be to God, verse 14, who always leads us in triumph in
Christ and manifest through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge
of him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ
to God among those who are being saved and among those who are
perishing to the one in aroma from death to death, to the other
in aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these
things? For we are not like many. peddling the word of God. But
as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the
sight of God. And you know what? Throughout
this entire section from chapter two to chapter six, Paul comes
back and back to that very thought. It’s God. It’s God’s message
that we bring. God’s the one that put us in
the ministry. It’s for Christ. It’s not about us. Over and over
again, you have these thoughts. But let’s look at verse 17 briefly,
we are not like many peddling the word of God, and when he
mentions the word of God, there were those hucksters, those people
that would go out and talk about as if they were preaching God’s
word. And it’s not unlike our own day. The astonishing thing
when we planted Community Bible Church, when we started this
very church years ago, the astonishing thing was to us how many churches
claim to be biblical. They claim to be preaching the
Word of God. They claim to be entirely guided by the Word of
God. And I’m not suggesting that we’re the only one. But with
all the shenanigans and foolishness that’s out there, I read this
past week where one pastor for some kind of a cheap trick and
thrill rode his motorcycle into the worship service and crashed
and hurt himself. We are not like many peddling
the word of God, that’s exactly the imagery that comes into my
mind. is these cheap tricks, these
church growth strategies that just want to try to for cheap
thrills. Help out the gospel. Paul said,
no way. These are the ones who think
they’re self adequate, Paul said, not me. I don’t think there’s
anything that I have to bring to the gospel. I’ll be a servant
of Christ. I’ll go and do what he tells
me to do. I’ll go and say what he tells me to say. But there’s
nothing that I have to add to this deal. These are the ones that think
they’re self-adequate, insincerely peddling their own message, not
God’s. The problem was they didn’t think
God’s message was good enough, and so it needed to be added
to and enhanced and colored and flavored. One summarized it in these terms. He said they go about hawking
or peddling the word of God, cheapening and degrading the
message by the illegitimate addition of foreign elements. Like a dishonest
merchant adulterates wine with water, they seek only their own
gain, regardless of the effect of their teaching on others and
careless of the momentous issues which are at stake. Self-interest
governs their outlook. They are unaware of any sense
of insufficiency for the task which they profess to fulfill.
You see, this word adulterated was often used of a wine merchant
who would take the bottle in the back room and mix it 50 50
with water and adulterated, cut it so that he could make more
money off of the wine that he was peddling. What Paul suggests
by this image that there were More than plenty of people in
Paul’s own day, not limited to his own day, but in Paul’s day
already, many who would add to the gospel and water down the
gospel and adulterate the gospel. Paul clearly here points to the
false teachers. Against which so much of this
epistle and so much of what the entire New Testament points up
about those who would preach another message. So many of these
false teachers lacked the true power and spiritual power, and
they operated on their own inadequacies and resorted to peddling, as
it were, the word of God, like a con artist or a huckster. First Corinthians four says it
this way. Now, these things, brethren,
I have figured it applied to myself and to Apollos for your
sakes, so that in us you may learn not to exceed what is written. That’s what these were doing
so that no one of you will become arrogant on behalf. That’s what
their heart was. It was so arrogant to think that
they had something to bring to the table, that they had something
to add to God and God’s word. Paul said, we’re not hucksters.
We’re not those that corrupt the word of God. When Paul wrote
to Timothy, this was a very grave concern for Paul as he began
to pass on the ministry to young Timothy. And Paul said to him
in Second Timothy four, I solemnly charge you in the presence of
God and of Christ Jesus, preach the word, God’s word. Be ready
in season and out of season. Reprove, rebuke, exhort with
great patience and instruction. Remember when I preached this,
I preached it upside down. I started with verses three and
four. I told you why we’re supposed to preach the word before we
even looked at what it meant. Why are we supposed to preach
the word? For the time will come when they will not endure sound
doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will
accumulate for themselves teachers. in accordance with their own
desires. There are all too many of those who will water down
the Gospel and tell people what they want to hear. But we are not like the many,
Paul said, peddling the Word of God. But as from sincerity,
as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God. You know
what Paul says? Paul said, God listens in when
I preach. Paul watches my ministry. God
watches my ministry. Paul says everything that I do
is laid out before Almighty God. Somebody asked me one time what
it’s like, you know, we started taping the sermons and then in
time we began recording the sermons digitally and once we put them
on disk, that allowed us to put them on the Internet. And somebody
said, isn’t that just scary to know that all over the world
people can listen to your sermons? I said the scary thing is that
God listens to everyone, everyone. As from God, we speak in Christ
and the sight of God, it was a task that was imposed on Paul
by God and performed with the awareness that an all seeing,
almighty God was watching and listening in. And Paul said,
in that sense, we speak in Christ in the sight of God, there is
no message outside of it. There’s nothing that I could
bring to add to that, there’s nothing that I could embellish
upon that. If I am not in Christ, I have
no message. And the sad truth is that so
many have forgotten that everything that they say isn’t just listened
to, but it’s watched and monitored by Almighty God. Paul’s sole
object was to proclaim Christ and minister Christ. Paul didn’t
want some cheap payment for a subpar message. The ministry of the gospel lastly
rests upon the proclamation of God’s word. As we begin to set our sights
not on the past 10 years, but on the years that God gives us
in the future by his grace. Let’s remember the foundation,
shall we? Let’s remember that there’s a bedrock that the church
is to be built on. God’s sovereign providence, the
promise of absolute victory, a representation of Christ, our
selfless humility, and our proclamation of God’s Word. Let’s pray. Merciful God, we thank you for
this great passage that spoke of Paul’s ministry and of the
foundational elements of it. God grant us the grace as a church
to examine our own hearts and lives with regards to these things.
And to set a course calling and crying out for your grace to
to be changed and to indeed adjust and to build this church solidly
on this foundation of God and God’s word. We thank you. We ask your rich blessing as
we go out in Christ’s name. Amen. Oh.