2 Corinthians 2:1

But I determined this with myself: I would not come again to you in heaviness. For if I make you sorry, who is he then that makes me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me? I wrote this same unto you, lest when I came I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice, having confidence in you all that my joy is the joy of you all.

Out of much affliction and anguish of heart, I wrote unto you with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you. If any have caused grief, he has not grieved me, but in part, that I may not overcharge you all. Sufficient to such a man is the punishment which was inflicted by many. Therefore, you ought rather to forgive him and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.

Wherefore, I beseech you that you would confirm your love toward him. For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether you be obedient in all things. To whom you forgive anything, I forgive also. If I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes I forgave it in the person of Christ. Lest Satan should get an advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices.

Father, we ask for your wisdom as we look into your word. Lord, we know, Jesus, that you promised you would give us the Spirit of Truth, who would guide us in all truth. We pray for that very Spirit, your Spirit, to be here in this place. We trust that wherever two or more are gathered, there you are in their midst, that you are here to teach us, Lord.

As we have worshipped you in song, we now want to worship you through your word. So God, instruct us. Lord, help us to make application from this passage.

That our lives would be transformed in You. For we pray this in Jesus' name, and all God's people agreed, saying, Amen. You can be seated.

In our study last time, Paul has been defending himself against those in Corinth—maybe one, maybe some—who had alleged that he was fickle in his plans. As we saw at the end of 1 Corinthians, and as has been referenced in the beginning of 2 Corinthians, Paul had intended to visit the Corinthians before he journeyed to the city of Macedonia. However, now he is in the cities of Macedonia, in Philippi, one of the key cities of that region, and he is writing this letter to them, having not visited them. So, his plan never quite came to fruition.

Do you ever have plans that don't quite make it? Because of his not coming to the church at Corinth, there were some in the city who began to allege that Paul was not really led of the Lord, that he was somehow self-willed and not spirit-led. Perhaps they even thought he lacked integrity when he said, "I'm going to come to you," and then he didn't. They might have been saying he was afraid to face them and didn't want conflict. There may have even been some, as implied by these chapters, who thought Paul had given up on them.

The church at Corinth was a difficult church, as we have considered quite extensively over the last year and a half in going through 1 Corinthians. Now, this church, which had been in some ways rebellious and, in many ways, stubborn—like we are—is asking some very challenging and difficult questions of Paul. As I have been considering this chapter and the whole of the book of 2 Corinthians over the last week, I've been wondering: Was such an inquiry necessary for someone like Paul?

Have you ever experienced the internal pain of such a query about your character? When people start to question your integrity, your honor, and your honesty, that is what they were doing to the Apostle Paul. You might almost expect that he would ask, "Have I not been with you so long that you know my proven character? You know me." He had lived with them for 18 months when he planted the church there.

He had visited them after that and had written to them. This is now his fourth letter that he is writing to them. Only two of these letters are in the Bible; two of them we do not have. However, he was very engaged in the life and work of the church at Corinth, so they should have known him. When accusations and allegations started to come against him, you can almost sense him wondering, "Why are you even questioning my character?" They were questioning it so much that now Paul is led to defend himself to those who should have known him much better than they apparently did.

We might wonder, why even defend yourself? Paul is not concerned about his reputation here, but as an ambassador of Christ, as one who stands as a representative of Jesus, the gospel, and the kingdom of God, he now endeavors to defend his character against these false allegations. He is concerned that these allegations might reflect poorly on the Lord. If Paul lacks integrity, then God must lack integrity. If he lacks honesty, then the gospel would bring some sort of reproach against the gospel.

Throughout this book, Paul stands in defense of himself to a group of people who should have recognized that these allegations do not reflect the character of Paul. Have you ever found yourself misrepresented or misinterpreted for what you have said or written? You might wonder, "You should know me well enough to know that what is being said of me is not my character." That is where Paul was; he is defending himself at this very time.

With that as the backdrop of this passage, it becomes much clearer as we look through it. We can understand why he is standing in defense of himself. As we finished last week, we began to see Paul's logic regarding why he did not visit the church at Corinth. He says in chapter 1, verse 23, "Moreover, I call for record upon my soul that to spare you, I came not as yet to Corinth." He explains that he did not come because if he had, he would have rebuked them harshly. Therefore, he determined not to come to them.

Someone reading that might say, "Oh, so you didn't come to us; it's our fault." I think Paul is going to clear up that misconception.

As we go through the passage that we have before us today, there was a contention between Paul and someone at the church at Corinth. It seems to be identified as a single person, a male in the church, who was causing some sort of division within the body of Christ. We don't know for sure because the Scriptures do not give us the specifics of what was happening there. However, we can deduce from what is here that there was someone in the church at Corinth, a believer, who was questioning Paul's character and causing division between this church planter, this apostle, and those that he so loved.

When Paul visited them prior to writing this letter, it was a heavy, sorrowful visit. We will see that in chapter 2 today. It seems that Paul confronted this division and the issue at hand, ultimately leading to an exchange that came about through it. The church at Corinth was a church that had many problems, not unlike modern churches in America today. We have churches across this nation filled with many problems because we have people, and we are problems.

When we become Christians and begin to follow Christ, He brings us into His church without cleaning us and perfecting us first. This means that when we gather together, we are a bunch of imperfect people. How many can relate to that? Okay, good. I'm not alone. We are imperfect, and I am so very grateful that God still loves imperfect people. I am thankful for a verse that I memorized very early on in my walk with the Lord: Philippians 1:6, where Paul says, "Being confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in me will be faithful to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus."

I am so grateful that God doesn't give up on us when He sees all our various problems. We live in a society where, if someone ticks us off enough or if someone is imperfect enough, we tend to write them off. Perhaps you build a business relationship or begin to develop a friendship, and as you start to see a little bit below the surface, you realize that this person has some baggage. It can be easier to avoid dealing with that baggage. We see this not only in friendships or business relationships but overwhelmingly in marriage today in our nation. Now, you don't need to raise your hand.

But just think for a second. How many of you married people here today, when you got married, didn't quite realize the extent of the imperfections of your spouse? In that first year, and maybe even quicker—in the first few days—you start to recognize that some of the gloss has come off. You realize that they have baggage, they’ve got issues, and they’re slightly imperfect.

In our society, we have no-fault divorce today, so a lot of people just say, "irreconcilable differences." They feel they just couldn't negotiate or compromise, and so they’re done with it, writing it off. However, Solomon said something that is simple yet profound in the Proverbs. One of the wisest men who ever lived, he stated in Proverbs 14, verse 4, "Where no oxen are, the stable is clean." Think about that. Where no oxen are, the stable is clean. But much increase comes by an ox.

You can have a clean church, but it’s going to be empty and ineffective in the ministry and mission that God has called us to. Now, maybe we could update what Solomon said. We could say it like this: parents will completely understand this—where no babies are, there are no smelly diapers. But then there remains little life where there are no new births.

In a church where birth is taking place, where new births and being born again occur, there are smelly diapers. There are many places throughout the New Testament, especially in Paul's letters, where he exhorts the church to bear with the weaknesses of your brothers and sisters, to bear with the infirmities of the weak for the glory of God and for the edification of the body. Life can be messy, and life in the church can be messy.

The church at Corinth was a mess. When others would just say, "Give up, write it off, irreconcilable differences," Paul would respond differently. He would say it’s worth the energy, worth the stress, and worth the sleepless nights.

The pain that you're enduring can feel overwhelming. Some might suggest that you just wrap it up and walk away, counting your losses and moving on. However, the Apostle Paul was determined. His determination stemmed from the abundance of love he had for the church. He wanted to see them grow, mature, and be discipled, even when others would have simply written them off. Paul was unwilling to do that because of his great love for this church.

As I mentioned last week, it is crucial to understand that this love was not self-motivated or manufactured. In 2 Corinthians 5:14, it says, "The love of Christ compels us." It was the love of Christ that pushed him and stirred him to love this church, to spend and be spent for their souls. Despite the fact that the more abundantly he loved them, the less he was loved, he recognized his own insufficiency. In 2 Corinthians 3:5, he states, "Not that I am sufficient of myself to think anything as being of myself, but my sufficiency is of God, who has made me an able minister of the new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."

Paul could have approached them with great authority, declaring, "I am the Apostle Paul. Do this. Submit." Yet, he chose not to do that. He was confident that God, who began a good work in them, would be faithful to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. God is in it for the long haul. If He has saved us and brought us into His family, we can be confident that we will stand before Him one day without spot or blemish. He has promised us that.

This does not mean we should neglect the call to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, to be conformed more and more into the image of His Son. We should strive to shed the jagged edges and sinful baggage that trip us up. We ought to seek that God would sanctify us, while also recognizing that He has a significant role in this work and will be faithful to complete it.

As we come to chapter 2, it is important to note that when this was written, it was not divided into verses or chapters. Those divisions were added much later—chapters in the 13th century and verses in the 16th century. They were introduced for our convenience, allowing us to easily reference the same passages.

Of scripture, we could look at the passage together. When this was given to the Corinthians, it was given as a letter, and they read it openly. Everybody heard the whole thing, and so it just flowed from one section to the next. The chapter separation between chapter 1 and chapter 2 here is poorly placed.

Come and look with me, if you would, at chapter 1, verse 23, as we build some of the context into what we're looking at today. In 2 Corinthians 1:23, Paul says, "Moreover, I call God for a record upon my soul that to spare you I came not yet as to Corinth. Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy, for by faith you stand."

But I determined this with myself: that I would not come again to you in heaviness, for if I make you sorry, who is he then that makes me glad, but the same which is made sorry of me?

As we look at these four verses, I want you to see that Paul knew his place. He recognized his role within the body of Christ. He was not the Lord over the church at Corinth. Even though he had planted the church, even though he had endeavored for so long to see their growth, and even though he had apostolic authority from God, he did not see himself as the Lord over that group of people in that church.

He says, "I haven't come to you yet; I'm going to come to you, but I want you to know that we don't have dominion over your faith. We have no lordship over your faith. You stand before God. He is Lord, and you stand before Him by faith." See that at the end of verse 24? "For by faith you stand."

So, I don't lord my authority over your faith. I don't come in there and say, "Shape up and submit to me, and don't ever come against my authority." He says, "My role here," look at it in the middle of verse 24, "is to be a helper for your joy." I am a helper for your joy.

Now, this is the guy who planted this church. This is the guy who was the pastor of this church and had apostolic authority, and he says, "I am a worker together with you for your joy." He understood that really his role in this, as directed by God, was to come and visit a church like Corinth to come alongside them for their mutual benefit.

As a body, his goal and desire was the mutual encouragement and edification of those he visited. Now, we see this reaffirmed in the Book of Romans. Turn to the left two books to the Book of Romans, chapter 1. Romans 1, beginning at verse 9, Paul says, "Therefore, God is my witness whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers."

He is writing to the church at Rome, a church he has never visited. He says, "I'm praying for you constantly." What is he praying? Verse 10 continues, "Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come to you." Paul is praying to God that He will open the door for him to come to Rome. Why? "For I long to see you."

In verse 11, he explains, "That I may impart unto you some spiritual gift to the end that you may be established." His goal is to see them built up and edified. Verse 12 adds, "That is, and notice this, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me." Paul wants to come to them, and when he does, God has gifted him in such a way that he wants to encourage and equip them. They, in turn, will mutually benefit him. Thus, they are comforted together by the mutual faith of both Paul and the church.

The word "mutual" in the original language is translated in other places in the New Testament as "one another." It speaks of the communion that we have within the body of Christ. In the Gospel of John, chapters 13 and 15, Jesus uses this word when He says to His disciples, "Love one another." Paul uses it in Romans 12 when he says, "Honor one another." He uses it again in Galatians 5 when he says, "Serve one another." In Galatians 6, he says, "Bear one another's burdens." Again, in Ephesians 4, he says, "Be kind to one another." In Philippians 2, he says, "Esteem one another." In Colossians 3, he says, "Speak truth to one another." Finally, in 1 Thessalonians 4, he says, "Comfort one another."

This is the exhortation that Paul gives to the church: when you're together, you are to love one another.

Honor one another, serve one another, bear one another's burdens, be kind to one another, and speak truth to one another. All these "one another" commands throughout Scripture illustrate how fellowship is meant to be. This is the purpose of being joined together as one.

Paul's desire was to be a blessing to whoever he visited. Therefore, it is clear that when he realized he could not go to Corinth under the circumstances and be beneficial to them, he decided to put his meeting with them on hold. This is a very interesting point. He wanted to encourage their joy and growth. He said, "Because I want to encourage your joy and I want to encourage your growth, I decided I'm not going to come to you with heaviness, afflicting you with grief."

Now, Paul will probably correct me when I get to heaven, but I speculate, in reading between the lines of what is said in Acts and 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians, that the letter Paul wrote to the church between 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians was significant. Remember, a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that he wrote four letters to them. Between what we have as 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians, Paul visited the church at Corinth, and it was not a good visit. We see that in 2 Corinthians 2:1. It was heavy.

After that visit, he wrote a sorrowful letter to them, filled with much tears. I speculate that we do not have that letter today because it contained more of Paul than the Holy Spirit. Paul was just a man like us, and there were times when he was wounded and in the flesh. He likely challenged them and rebuked them very heavily over whatever had taken place during his visit. While all the things he spoke to them were likely true, there was still more of Paul than the Holy Spirit in that letter.

He decided he would not come to them in heaviness again. After that sorrowful visit, he left saying, "I'm not having another visit like that." Have you ever had a visit like that with family members? It’s supposed to be a happy occasion, like a wedding or a holiday, but as you get in the car, perhaps with tears in your eyes, you find yourself saying, "We're not doing that again. Never again."

Are we having a meeting like that? That's the sense that we have here. I determined I'm not coming to you again with heaviness like that.

Now, church, this is called tact, and it's important in fellowship. If I cannot be an encouragement to your faith, then I'm not going to come because it will not be mutually beneficial. I think this is an important truth for us to learn and apply.

Many times, when we are interacting with other Christians who maybe don't go to our church or are not a part of our denomination or our stream of doctrinal thinking, we drop the "T" from the end of "tact" and replace it with a "K." We come in with real pointy tacks, looking to find the areas of disagreement.

For example, I hear that you go to what church? Oh, Cross Connection? What is that? Oh, that's a Calvary Chapel. You believe in the pre-tribulation rapture, do you? We don't believe in that. I can't tell you how many times I've met a believer and come in contact with someone outside the walls of the church. They say, "Oh, you're a Christian? What church do you go to?" I respond, "I go to Calvary Chapel." They say, "Oh, you're a pastor? Wow, really? So what do you think about God's sovereignty and man's free will?" First question! And I'm thinking this is not going to go in a good direction at all.

You meet that person in your workplace, and they say, "You're a Christian? Yeah, you're a Christian too? Oh wow, what church do you go to?" Then it turns into, "Oh, you go to that church? So are you a young earth creationist or an old earth creationist?" Instead of looking for ways in which we can encourage mutual joy and be workers together for one another's joy within the body of Christ, we are looking to start another sibling rivalry.

Instead of recognizing that we are brothers and sisters in Christ, we are just looking for a way to compete. Within our carnal nature, fueled by our culture in America, our carnal nature wants to win. Let's just be honest; we love to compete.

That's why we love sports, debate, and politics; we want to win. When we meet someone and discover they are a Christian who attends a larger church, we may feel the urge to compete. However, I don't want you to misunderstand me. There are times when the church needs to address issues of heresy or sin within its walls and within the larger body of Christ. Discipline is sometimes necessary in accordance with the Word of God.

So, don't think that what I'm saying is merely glossing over sinful or false doctrine issues. Paul was very clear and acted like a bulldog when it came to defending the faith and dealing with sin. A perfect example of this is found in 1 Corinthians 5, where he addresses the sinful brother at Corinth and instructs the church to deal with the situation in a very severe way. When it comes to issues of sin or false doctrine, they need to be addressed.

However, when it comes to matters of preference or secondary doctrines, Paul emphasizes that his desire is for our mutual joy. I am convinced that we would be better off as the Church—capital C, the larger body of Christ—if we sought more opportunities to mutually encourage one another rather than constantly scrutinizing other churches and individuals to find out, "Oh, you believe that heresy? I cannot believe it!"

We are currently in a culture where, particularly in the evangelical church, eschatology is a significant issue. You may meet someone who does not hold the same eschatological position as you. For instance, if you have a pre-trib position and discover that someone else is a post-tribber, it can feel like the weapons come out. It becomes a battle, as if we want to beat each other with our Bibles because we want to win.

I just don't see this attitude represented in the teachings of Christ. The best illustration I've encountered regarding this whole issue is the difference between state and national borders. National borders need to be defended; wars are fought to establish and protect them. However, state borders simply distinguish one area from another. There may be disagreements on how certain things should be done, but there shouldn't be a war started over a state border. That would be called a civil war.

It's not a good thing. There are times, however, when all the states gather together and say our national borders are in danger, and so we need to stand our ground on this. But when it comes to issues of preference, when it comes to secondary teaching of doctrines, secondary doctrines should be like state borders. We are one in Christ; we have different preferences.

What kind of things would be called national borders? Inerrancy of Scripture, the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the sinfulness of man, the substitutionary death of Christ for us, the resurrection of Jesus, and salvation by grace. These would be national borders. Our Baptist friends down at Bethel Baptist or Gunnar Hansen up at Valley Baptist would say we agree on these things completely.

But what would be some issues that are secondary? Cessationism, for example; they don't believe that the spiritual gifts are in effect working within the church today. There are also differences like verse-by-verse teaching versus topical Bible preaching, hymns in worship versus choruses, pre-tribulation rapture versus post-tribulation rapture, elder-led government in the church versus pastor-led government, and Calvinism versus Arminianism. These are secondary issues. It's kind of a states' rights thing. It's like, "Alright, you have your preference, which is good. That's why we live here in this state and that's why you live in that state." And you say, "It's cool."

But you know what? We're all one body in Christ, and when we get together, we should endeavor for the mutual edification of the body. In the Christian faith, there are national borders, but there are far fewer national borders than there are state borders. There are a lot more non-essential issues that we divide over.

So Paul says, "My desire is that I want to come to you to encourage you." When I recognized that my coming to you would not be mutually beneficial, I opted to change my plan. Now, if you consider it, that's maturity. Look at verse 3 of 2 Corinthians 2:3: "I wrote the same thing unto you, lest when I came, I should have sorrow from them whom I ought to rejoice, having confidence in you all that my joy is the joy of you."

All you see is that at the end, he says, "When you are filled with joy, my joy increases." So, I'm working for your joy. It's a selfish reason; I work for your joy because when your joy increases, my joy increases. If my coming to you is going to smash your joy out of maturity, I'm going to put that meeting on hold.

Their perception of this was, "Well, he just doesn't like conflict. He just lacks integrity. He says he's coming, but he doesn't come." I want to explain to you why I didn't come; it actually has a good motivation behind it. Genuine fellowship is enjoyed not when those gathered are in total complete agreement on all points, but rather when those gathered together in Christ are working for the mutual joy of one another, regardless of differing positions.

How many married couples are here this morning? Raise your hands. Keep them up. Any successful marriage recognizes or is the result of compromise for the mutual benefit, right? You can put your hands down. What do I mean by that? If you're going to have a successful marriage, you get married and realize this person doesn't agree with me on everything. They're supposed to agree with me, but submission doesn't work. Don't try it. Ephesians 5 talks about submission.

Married couples, those about to be married, realize very quickly that there are certain areas where we don't agree. When we talk about them, what happens? Conflict and division. In the maturing process of a married couple, they come to the recognition that there are certain things we just don't talk about. How many of you would say, "Yeah, that's true"? A successful marriage is built upon compromise.

Now, here's the problem: because of works like "No Compromise" by Keith Green, in the church today, the word "compromise" is like a cuss word. We seem to think that no compromise is a big deal. Listen, man and woman, compromise at times is incredibly important.

Especially for the success of a marriage and for the body of Christ, there are certain topics that we should conclude we should not discuss with certain brothers and sisters. When I'm spending time with people who are not part of our doctrinal stream, and I realize that this person has a very heavy hand on the issue of God's sovereignty, I don't go in saying, "So, what about this passage over here?" Instead, I use tact and say, "I love this brother; I love this sister," recognizing that there are certain things we just cannot talk about.

Everyone recognizes this in their larger family context. You know that certain aunt who lives down the street, and when you get together, you just don't talk about politics. Let's not talk about it because it degrades the family dynamic and is not helpful. There are certain people in my family to whom I know I won't share my positions on specific political issues. It simply won't be beneficial. The reality is that many times, these discussions divide us in such a way that they give no opportunity for me to extend the grace of God to them, especially since many of these people don't know the Lord.

I have a number of family members who have no clue about my political positions, and I'm perfectly fine with that. They probably recognize that I have a slightly more conservative stance than they do, but it's very likely that I won't bring up a lot of those topics. Why? It's compromise. I'm looking for an opportunity to glorify God and to seek their ultimate edification. I want them to come to the Lord and to experience fullness of joy. Therefore, I am a worker together for their joy.

In verse four, Paul says, "For out of much affliction and anguish of heart, I wrote unto you with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you." At this point, you may be asking, "Where then is church discipline in this?" There needs to be a time when church discipline is exercised, as well as the desire and resolve to continue.

In united fellowship with people within the body of Christ, it does not mean the neglect of discipline. It doesn't mean that we just cast it off when unorthodox or sinful behaviors arise. In the context of fellowship, it's made known that there is an issue of sin or an issue of wrong doctrine, and they must be set right according to the Word of God. However, this must always take place in the context of love and humility.

Galatians 6:1 states, "Brethren, if any man is overtaken in a trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself, lest you also be tempted." Therefore, it needs to be done out of humility and love.

Now, look at verse 4 again. Do you see the humility and love of this apostle? Out of much affliction and anguish of heart, I wrote unto you with many tears. My purpose was not to grieve you, nor that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love that I have more abundantly for you. He says, "My aim was restoration; my aim was working together for our mutual joy." I wrote to you a heavy letter; I realized that, but it wasn't intended to tear you apart or lord my authority over you. My letter was written to challenge you to press on in this work and to grow to maturity.

What Paul was doing here was coming alongside and calling them to press on. The word that is often used in the Scriptures and translated as exhortation in the New Testament is the word "parakaleo." It means to come alongside with a call. I've used this illustration many times, but it perfectly pictures it for us.

It's as if every single one of us here is running a race, and we're all on the same team in this race. How many of you have run a 5K, a 10K, or a half marathon? Several of you have. Now, imagine you're running. When you're in that race, you're on the same team with everybody. You see someone, your teammate, falling by the wayside or being overtaken in a trespass; they have been ensnared by a sin that so easily ensnares them. Because you're on the same team and because you're endeavoring towards the same goal, you come alongside them, parakaleo, and you say, "Come, let's go." You see that their pace has slowed, and you say, "Come, I'll run with you for this."

Next, we are workers together for your joy. We are on the same team. A lot of times, what happens is we see someone fall, and we go, "Ha ha ha, one less person in the race!" However, we just don't see anywhere in that the character of Christ, do we? Who is my neighbor? Well, let me tell you a story.

There was a guy, a Samaritan. I'm sorry, there was a guy who was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was overtaken by some robbers. He was lying there for dead, and a priest walked by. Oh goodness! He crossed to the other side. You know the story. Finally, the good Samaritan, who was neighborly, was the one who showed mercy.

Now, let's look at church discipline. In verse 5, it says, "Now if any have caused grief, he has not grieved me, but in part, that I may not overcharge you all." Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted by the whole. This could be translated as "of the whole."

So, Paul here identifies one individual in the church at Corinth who had caused some problems. There is a lot of discussion about who this was. Some people think that he was the sinful man in 1 Corinthians 5, but I don't agree with that position. I believe this is something else. This is someone who seems to have affronted Paul's leadership, and the church dealt with it after Paul had gone there. It seems like they had put him out of the fellowship; they excommunicated him for a time.

Paul says, "Sufficient for such a man is this punishment that was inflicted by all of you, the whole body." But then look at verse 7: "So that, contrawise, you ought to rather..." What does it say? "Forgive him and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with much sorrow."

Why? Because we are workers together for one another's joy. You had to discipline this divisive, sinful brother, so you put him out. Now there has been some measure of repentance, and now you need to restore such a one in the spirit of gentleness, considering yourself, lest you also be tested. You need to work for his joy, that he not be overcome with much grief. So, you should forgive him, and you should comfort him. That word "comfort," parakaleo, means to come alongside him.

Run the mile with him now. Church discipline, a lot of times, is theorized as being ultimate when we have excommunicated a person. What Paul reveals here is that this has not gone far enough because the goal of church discipline is the goal of all discipline, which is restoration.

If a church has said, "Well, we exercise church discipline; we put him out of here," and they talk about him as if he is out of here, it is ineffective church discipline until he is restored back. Paul says to forgive him, pardon him, and comfort him. Bring him back so that he is not overtaken with much sorrow.

In the course of fellowship within the body of Christ, there are times when church discipline is necessary. In this passage, we learn several important practical applications about church discipline. Firstly, discipline is brought upon an individual or individuals in response to unorthodox or sinful behavior. Apparently, this guy was divisive, and discipline needed to be enacted by the whole church. There was a specific issue or action that needed to be addressed.

Secondly, the discipline or punishment needs to fit the crime. Look at verse 6: "Sufficient to such a man is this punishment." It is the right punishment.

Number three, the purpose of the punishment is not to inflict continual pain but to correct that which was wrong. Every parent recognizes this. When you discipline your children, you say, "Listen, you did a bad thing. Discipline means you're cut off from the family. Don't come back."

Ethan, I know you're three, but you're done. Never again. Don't you ever talk like that. You won't be able to because you're not going to be here anymore. Banished! Now, what's the purpose of discipline? I am disciplining so that he would be a disciplined disciple.

It's for the purpose of growth of that individual, of that child. The whole purpose is restored fellowship; bring them back in. Ultimately, the aim of discipline ought to be forgiveness and restoration. That should be the goal.

The word that's translated "forgive" means to show oneself gracious, to come alongside and call them. The purpose of discipline is not to say, "Alright, we finally got rid of that wicked wretch; never speak of him again."

Look at verse 8: "Wherefore I beseech you." There is such an emphasis placed on this word; I beg you that you would confirm your love toward him. For to this end did I also write, that I might know the proof of you, whether you be obedient in all things. I'm writing to see you restore this brother. To whom you forgive anything, I forgive also. If he has wronged me, I forgive him; you forgive him, I forgive him. For if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ. Would you lean over and underline that in your neighbor's Bible? In the person of Christ.

As God forgave you, so also you must do. Now notice this last verse: "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices." The aim of Satan is the destruction of marriages, the destruction of relationships, the destruction of the church. He aims at destroying and tearing apart. We ought not be ignorant of his devices.

Yes, sometimes he seeks to destroy by sinful behavior or unorthodox doctrine, but I think more than that, he often likes to come in through sly devices with severe, ungracious, unloving actions that divide the body of Christ in the name of righteousness. That's unwilling.

To extend forgiveness, which is nothing like the character of Christ, the aim of fellowship when we gather together should be the glorification of God and the mutual edification of one another. Whether it's in the context of this church or when you meet another Christian at work and discover, "Wow, you're a Christian! I'm a Christian! That's amazing!" the focus should remain on building each other up.

When there is sin or a time when false doctrine has come in, yes, discipline needs to be enacted. However, the purpose of that discipline is the restoration of fellowship for the mutual encouragement of joy within the body of Christ. So, when you meet that new friend, that new brother at work, and you ask, "You've worked here for how long? You've been a Christian since the 70s? I had no idea!" you can engage in meaningful conversation. You might ask, "What do you think about the rapture? Pre-trib, post-trib, young earth creationist, or old earth creationist?"

Alternatively, when you meet that person and say, "You're a Christian? I'm a Christian too! What church do you go to?" and they respond, "Emmanuel Faith," or "I go to Calvary Chapel," or "I go to Cross Connection," you can offer, "Can I pray for you? What's the Lord doing in your life?" If they share, "Oh wow, you just lost a brother," you can say, "Let me pray for you." This is a whole different way to think in such situations.

When it comes to state borders, compromise is not a curse word. We should be workers together for one another's joy, not lords over their faith. It is frustrating when someone says, "You believe what? Let me show you what the Bible says," or "My Bible says..." I hate that. I dislike when people tell me, "My Bible says." I think my Bible says that God is sovereign too, but right here it also says He gives free will.

Let's stand and pray. Father, we need Your grace. We need Your grace to be gracious to one another, to those we meet who know You and perhaps have a different view on how You work or what You do. But, Lord, they still know You and have been saved by You. Help us to extend grace and to live as You lived, Lord.

Forgave us, so also we must do. Yes, Lord, we know there are times when discipline is necessary, but may it be for the purpose of restored fellowship and for the purpose of greater joy. Work these things into our lives, we pray. We ask in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you.