2 Corinthians 10:1

Now, I, Paul, myself, beseech you or beg you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent and bold toward you. I beseech you that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence wherewith I think to be bold against some, who think of us as if we walk according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations of every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ, and having in readiness to revenge all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

Father, we pray, as we often do, for wisdom and insight as we look into Your Word, trusting that all wisdom comes from You. We pray that You would continue to work in us, that we would reflect You and Your glory in this world in which we live. We recognize the darkness of a lost world, especially when we see news stories like what has happened in Colorado. Lord, we know that we live in a world that is in desperate need of Your grace and the salvation that You bring. So, God, work in us that we would be a bright, shining light to everyone we come in contact with. We know, God, that this is not something that is inherent in us; it doesn't come from us. You need to work that in us. We pray this in Jesus' name. And all God's people agreed, saying, Amen.

You can be seated. The Corinthians, the church to whom Paul wrote this book, this letter, were a rough bunch of people. We have seen, as we have been studying through both the books of 1 and 2 Corinthians,

The ruffians in Corinth were very similar to the ruffians here in California. As has been said before, this book could be called Second Californians and not just Second Corinthians. A church is a gathering of people who have been called out of the world, called out of darkness into God's marvelous light. We come into the body of Christ with all kinds of error and imperfections. The church 2,000 years ago in Corinth was no different. Little has changed because humanity has not changed.

They were a rough group of people, and yet God had done a miraculous work there in establishing a church. A group of people was called out, and Paul was used as the instrument to help establish and found that church. He was there for nearly two years in doing so. However, upon leaving Corinth, there was something of a minor coup, a rebellion against his leadership. Those who rebelled against the leadership of the Apostle Paul brought slanderous accusations against his character.

During that time, as these people were slandering his character, Paul traveled back to his home base, back to his home church in modern-day Syria. He then went down to Jerusalem for a time. While he was traveling, he set out on a third missionary journey and came up into Asia. He began to receive word, both by a letter and through reports from people in the city of Corinth, about the problems that were happening there.

As was Paul's typical custom, one of the ways he continued to teach the people he ministered to was by sending them letters. While he was in the city of Ephesus establishing a church there, a group of people came from Corinth and brought him a letter with many questions about how to deal with issues in the church. After Paul received that letter, he wrote a letter to them to answer those questions. This is really the first book of Corinthians, but we do not have that letter.

Paul wrote four letters to the church at Corinth, but we only have two of them in the Scriptures. God, by His divine plan, opted that we would only have two. However, these are not the only letters that Paul wrote. He wrote his first letter responding to their questions, and after they received that letter, they sent him another letter with more questions.

A report came to him from one of the prominent households of the city of Corinth, the household of Chloe, regarding all kinds of sinful problems that had come into the church. It is a reality that we need to recognize: it is not very hard for sin to enter the church because we are sinners. We bring with us, when we come into the body of Christ, all kinds of issues. The problem is that if sin is allowed to remain within the body of Christ, it can destroy. It does destroy, because sin brings death.

In 1 Corinthians chapter 5, Paul illustrates this by talking about leaven. Leaven is yeast, like when you make bread rise. He said that sin is like that yeast; just a little bit of it in the body of Christ will leaven the entire body. It will bring ruin to the church. Therefore, Paul wrote his letter, which we have as 1 Corinthians, to address these sinful issues within the body of Christ and to rebuke the problems of sin in Corinth. Three of Paul's letters to the Corinthians were filled with challenging rebuke, and two of them we have.

Paul's response rebukes the sinful error, sinful division, and sinful immorality that were prevalent throughout the church, as well as the sinful exercise of spiritual gifts. There was a whole bunch of fallenness in the church, and Paul sought to correct it because, again, it cannot be allowed to remain.

Following that rebuke in 1 Corinthians, Paul visited the church at Corinth for a second time while he was establishing the church in Ephesus. We are told in 2 Corinthians, the book that we have been studying for the last several months, that when Paul visited the church at Corinth on that second visit, it was a terrible, sorrowful, and burdensome time. It was one of those visits where, as he was leaving, he thought to himself, "If this is the way it's going to be, I'm just not going to do this again."

Have any of you ever experienced a family gathering like that before? You get together with your family, and as you're getting in the car to leave, you say to your spouse, "If this is the way it's going to be, we're just not going to do this." That is exactly how that second visit to Corinth ended. Paul went back to Ephesus, and again, 2 Corinthians chapter 2 tells us a few verses later that when he left from that second visit and returned to Ephesus, he penned his third letter.

A letter that he wrote in tears is mentioned in 2 Corinthians chapter 2. This letter was filled with passionate rebuke against the slander that was coming against his character in the city of Corinth. Paul was in the city of Ephesus when he wrote this letter, his third letter to the church, which we do not have. He gave it to one of his associates, Titus, who was well connected with the church at Corinth. Paul instructed Titus to carry this letter to Corinth and, after he had delivered it, to meet him in Macedonia.

Macedonia was to the north of Corinth, about 150 miles away. It was where the prominent churches of Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea were located. Titus left Ephesus and went to Corinth, while Paul remained in Ephesus for a time until circumstances became difficult for him. He was essentially thrust out of the city and traveled north to the city of Troas.

2 Corinthians chapter 2 tells us that a great door of opportunity was opened to the apostle Paul in Troas. However, he was so devastated and depressed, with a heavy heart because of what was happening in Corinth, that he left. He could not stay in Troas and go through the open door that God had given him. Instead, he went directly across the sea to Macedonia, hoping to find Titus there, as he had sent him to Corinth with the instruction to meet him in Macedonia when he was done.

When Paul arrived in Macedonia, likely in the city of Philippi, he did not find Titus. He was anxious to learn what had happened in Corinth. 2 Corinthians chapters 2 and 7 reveal that he was sorrowful, his heart was heavy, and he had no rest, wondering what would become of his relationship with the church at Corinth. He had rebuked them sternly in two letters, with two of them being very severe and harsh. He had scolded them personally and had been bold during his second visit. Yet, the slander had devastated Paul's relationship with them.

Anyone who has experienced slander knows how difficult it is to clear one's name. While Paul was in Philippi, Titus returned. 2 Corinthians chapter 7 states that Paul was comforted by the appearance of Titus.

Titus comes and shares with Paul that many things in Corinth had been set right. There was a restoration of relationship happening in the city of Corinth. However, the seeds of gossip and slander had done their work, and there were still people opposing the ministry of the Apostle Paul. The book of 2 Corinthians, which we have been studying, addresses this situation.

The first seven chapters that we have already examined deal with the restoration of relationships. You can sense a bit of the joy of the Apostle Paul in the restored relationship between him and many of the people at the church in Corinth. At the same time, he weaves in and out of that some confrontation and challenge directed at those who had slandered him.

In chapters 8 and 9, which we studied for five weeks, Paul discusses an offering he was going to receive from the Corinthian church to take to the needy church in Jerusalem. Given the turmoil that had occurred between Paul and the Corinthians, asking for money may have been a difficult task. The relationship was certainly strained, and so chapters 8 and 9 address the entire offering issue.

When we come to chapter 10, there is a significant change in direction within the letter. The last four chapters of 2 Corinthians have a completely different tone than the first nine chapters. It is a whole new discourse, if you will. The very first word of chapter 10, verse 1, is "now," indicating a shift in focus. This is in stark contrast to the last verse of chapter 9, which concludes with a benediction.

In verse 15 of 2 Corinthians, chapter 9, Paul ends his discourse about offerings by saying, "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable or indescribable gift." He had just requested that they give a financial gift, and then he reminds them of the greatest gift—the gift that Jesus gave when He died on the cross for our sins. Paul expresses gratitude, saying, "Thanks be to God for that indescribable gift." It is hard for us to even fathom or comprehend the greatness and value of the gift we have in Christ Jesus. Thus, Paul concludes with his thanks to God and then says, "Now."

New direction. Now, I have some things that I need to address. I have some things that I need to cover with you. Still lingering in the air of Corinth between Paul and the Corinthian church was all this slander that had been brought against him by those who were against his ministry, by those who were rebellious. Paul begins to answer those problems.

The last four chapters of 2 Corinthians are filled with heavy, stern confrontation against the church at Corinth, especially those people who had opposed Paul's leadership and had assassinated his character. These four chapters contain the most stern challenges and rebukes of Paul's letters against these unruly critics of his ministry in the city of Corinth. It is quite literally an open rebuke against them.

Now, rebuking someone is not easy. Unless you are somewhat sadistic and cruel, you don't like to rebuke people. No one enjoys being rebuked. When we go into a situation where we are actually confronting someone's wrong or rebuking their error, we filter it through the fact that we don't like to be rebuked ourselves. It is very hard for us to do that.

As you read through the four chapters that are before us, chapters 10 through 13, you can almost sense Paul's discomfort as he has to clearly put the knife in, if you will, the knife of the Scriptures against those who oppose the work that God was doing through him. You see it in the fact that there are a number of times in these four chapters where Paul uses some very biting sarcasm. He is addressing about nine or so things that the critics of his ministry were saying against him.

As I was reading through chapters 10 through 13 and considering them over the last couple of weeks, I identified what I think are about nine things that they were saying against him. There may be more. We do not have clearly outlined for ourselves what it was that his critics were saying against him, but as you read between the lines, you can see several things that they spoke. Paul is openly rebuking them for this error.

Why? Well, Paul would say to his young disciple in the ministry, Timothy, in 1 Timothy 5, verse 17.

Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and in doctrine. For the Scriptures say, "You shall not muzzle the ox that treads out the grain," and "the laborer is worthy of his reward."

So, against an elder, against an overseer like the Apostle Paul, he says, "Do not receive an accusation, but by two or three witnesses." He quotes Deuteronomy chapter 19, verse 15. He refers to the law of Moses, which states that if you are going to receive an accusation against someone, there needs to be the testimony of at least two or three witnesses. Paul uses this with Timothy and says, "Listen, against an elder, do not receive an accusation, but by two or three witnesses."

"Those that do sin rebuke before all, that the others may also fear." Paul emphasizes that when it is necessary, there does need to be an open rebuke, and it should be done before everyone so that all can see that when there is error, it needs to be dealt with.

Notice what Paul says in 2 Corinthians chapter 13, verse 1, using the same words from Deuteronomy chapter 19. He states, "This then is the third time that I'm coming to you, and the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established." He asserts that he is openly rebuking them. They have no witnesses against him; they have false allegations and accusations, but he has witnesses against them, and he is going to bring it before them.

An open rebuke, as Proverbs says in Proverbs 27, verse 5, is better than love carefully concealed. Sometimes it is necessary to openly rebuke someone. In this instance, it was very necessary because the accusations against Paul were not just personal; they were reflecting upon God in heaven, as he was an apostle of Christ. These accusations were, in a very real way, devastating the ability of the church to minister in the city of Corinth.

Paul is going to address each one of these things specifically. Even though it was uncomfortable for him and not easy to do so, he speaks against the slams and slander that were coming against him.

There are, again, about nine issues that people have raised regarding the Apostle Paul. Let me just outline them for you. You don't need to write these down.

One of the criticisms was that Paul was a coward when he was present with them. They claimed he was only as bold as a lion when he was far away and had a pen in his hand. They said that when he was with them, he appeared weak. Although he wrote challenging and stern rebukes, they felt that in person, he was cowardly. In 1 Corinthians 1, Paul acknowledges this by saying, "When I was with you, I was with you in much fear and trembling." He admitted to speaking with language that was not eloquent and expressed that he had very little strength. In contrast, his letters, such as 1 and 2 Corinthians, contained strong and stern words. Thus, they concluded that he was a coward in their presence but brave as a lion when he was far away.

Secondly, they accused Paul of being self-willed, claiming that he walked in the flesh and was not led by the Spirit. Can you imagine how painful that must have been for the Apostle Paul to hear? As you follow his life and journey as a Christian through the Book of Acts and his letters in the New Testament, it becomes clear that he sought the Spirit to guide and direct him wherever he went.

Thirdly, they suggested that Paul was somehow less than the Corinthians in his faith. They believed they were greater than him, more knowledgeable, smarter, and more spiritual. They also implied that Paul lacked God-given authority, suggesting that he had less authority than other apostles and was inferior to the so-called super apostles. They criticized him for being unskilled in speaking and even called him foolish. Additionally, they described him as weak and, get this, unimpressive in his appearance.

In the second century AD, there was actually a description of what the Apostle Paul looked like. It stated that he was short, had bowed legs, a bandied brow, and a hooked nose. He had an eye problem and did not hear very well. Overall, he did not look like much and was not very impressive.

And they used that against him. They also said that Paul was deceitful and that he took advantage of the church at Corinth. In these last four chapters of 2 Corinthians, Paul's words are going to powerfully address these allegations. Although it was uncomfortable and he didn't like having to do so, he recognized the necessity of it.

To get the full sense of what Paul is saying to the church at Corinth, I think the only way to rightly do it is to take a moment and read through all of these chapters together at once. This isn't necessarily the pattern of what we do on a typical Sunday here at the church, but I think it's important to grasp just what Paul was saying to the church at Corinth by reading it in one swoop, just as if it were a letter, because it is.

I'm going to ask you to do something that may be outside the culture of what we typically do here at Cross Connection, a Calvary ministry. As I go through this text, I don't want you to highlight or underline anything in your Bibles or try to correlate it with other passages. Just consider what it is that the Apostle Paul says.

I'm going to read from a different version than I normally do as well. I will read from the English Standard Version, going through these chapters to see Paul's confrontation of those who criticized the work that God was doing through him and with him in the city of Corinth.

2 Corinthians 10, verse 1, in the English Standard Version says this: "I, Paul, myself, beg you; I entreat you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ." Here’s some of that sarcasm: "I, who am humble when I am face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am far away, I beg you. I beg you that when I am present, I may not have to show such boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh."

"For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience when your obedience is complete. Look at what is before your eyes."

If anyone is confident that he is Christ's, let him remind himself that just as he is Christ, so are we also. For even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave us for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be ashamed. I do not want to appear to be frightening before you in my letters.

For they say, "His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak and his speech of no account." Let such a person understand that what we say by letter when we are absent, we also say when we are in your presence. Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves, but when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are doing so without understanding.

We will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence that God has assigned to us to reach even to you. For we are not overextending ourselves as though we did not reach you. We were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ. We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others.

Our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you without boasting of work already done in another area of influence. Let those who boast, boast in the Lord. For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

So, I wish you would bear with me a little foolishness. Do bear with me. I feel a divine jealousy for you since I betrothed you to one husband. I present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from sincere, pure devotion to Christ.

For if someone comes to you and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. Indeed, I consider that I am not in the least inferior to these super apostles. Even if I am unskilled in speaking,

I am not so knowledgeable. Indeed, in every way, we have made this plain to you in all things. Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that I might be exalted because I preached the gospel to you free of charge? I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. When I was with you and in need, I did not burden you; the brothers of Macedonia supplied my need. So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way.

As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia, where Corinth was. And why? Because I do not love you? God knows that I do. What I do, I will continue to do in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to assert that in their boasted mission, they work on the same terms as we do. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. It is no surprise that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.

I repeat, let no one think me foolish, but even if you do, accept me as a fool so that I too may boast a little. What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not with the Lord's authority, but as a fool, speaking with sarcasm. Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. You gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves, for you bear with it if someone makes slaves of you, devours you, takes advantage of you, puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that. But whatever anyone else dares to boast of, I, speaking as a fool, will also dare to boast.

Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one. I am talking like a madman, with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned with rocks.

Three times I was shipwrecked. A night and a day I was adrift at sea. I faced frequent journeys and dangers from rivers, robbers, my own people, Gentiles, in the city, in the wilderness, at sea, and from false brothers. I endured toil and hardship through many sleepless nights, hunger, and thirst, often without food, in cold exposure. Apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me, my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fail or fall, and I am not indignant? If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

The God and Father of our Lord Jesus, He who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city in order to seize me, but I was let down in a basket through a window and a wall to escape their hands. I must go on boasting, I guess. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.

I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up into the third heaven. Whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know; God knows. I know that this man was caught up into paradise. Whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know, but God knows. He heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. On behalf of this man, I will boast, but on my own behalf, I will not boast except of my weakness.

Though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth, but I refrain from it so that no one may think me more than he sees in me or hears from me. To keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given to me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me and keep me from becoming conceited.

Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me, but He said, "My grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in your weakness." Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weakness so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

I have been a fool. You forced me to it. For I ought to have been commended by you.

I am inferior to these super apostles, even though I am nothing. The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with the utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works. For in what were you less favored than the rest of the churches, except that I myself did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong.

Here for the third time, I am ready to come to you, and I will not be a burden. For I seek not what is yours, but you. For 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. I love you more, even though I am loved less.

But granting that I myself did not burden you, I was crafty, you say, and got the better of you by deceit. Did I take advantage of you? Through any of those whom I sent to you, I urged Titus to go and sent the brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not act in the same spirit? Did we not take the same steps?

Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? It is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ, and all for your upbuilding, beloved. For I fear that perhaps when I come, I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish. Perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.

I fear that when I come again, my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those who sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, the sexual immorality, the sensuality that they have practiced. This is the third time that I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.

I warned those who sinned before and all others, and I warn them now while I am absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again, I will not spare them. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. I will not spare them.

Since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me, he is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you, we will live with him in the power of God.

So, examine yourselves.

To see whether you are truly in the faith, test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you, unless indeed you fail to meet the test? I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. But we pray to God that you may do no wrong. Not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only the truth. We are glad when we are weak, and you are strong. 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 authority that the Lord has given me for building and not for tearing down. Paul was brokenhearted by this slander, this gossip. Gossip, which in the Greek comes from the root "diablo," refers to the devil. Satan is the accuser of the brethren. Paul had been slandered; he had been slammed and defamed by a certain group of people in the city of Corinth who considered themselves super apostles—more spiritual, more wise, better looking, better speakers, whatever it may have been.

They had exalted themselves and commended themselves. They did not have the commendation of God, but they commended themselves to the Corinthians, and somehow the Corinthians were led astray by it and took hold of it, rejecting what God was doing in and through the apostle Paul. He writes these words—sarcastic at points, but filled with confrontation and challenge against the critics there in Corinth—saying, "Listen, I'd much rather write you a hard letter than to come to you and have to be severe in your presence." These are challenging words, important words, because at stake was the ministry of the gospel of Christ. Paul didn't do this lightly.

Just so he could be seen as better than these super apostles in Corinth, Paul did this to exalt Christ. He had no problem with being made weak so that Christ could be exalted, but he did not want to be made weak by false allegations or by the work of the enemy through lies.

It is interesting to me that Paul, as he begins this discourse and addresses these accusations against his character, does so on the basis of the meekness and gentleness of Christ. Look at verse 1 of 2 Corinthians chapter 10. "Now I, Paul, myself, beg you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ." Would you underline those words, the meekness and gentleness of Christ? I've been thinking about these words for the last two weeks, meditating upon them. The meekness and gentleness of Christ are so important that we recognize the source of such qualities. Christ is the source of these things. They certainly do not come from us, and they are not evident in us in our natural character. These qualities do not define us in any sense in our own flesh.

Meekness and gentleness—how so? Let me define the words for you. The word "meekness" refers to a humble, gentle attitude that expresses itself in the patient endurance of offenses. It means that you are free from anger, free from hatred, and free from bitterness, with no desire to avenge yourself even when you are wrongfully treated. It means being humble and gentle in the midst of unfair treatment.

How many of you would say today, "Yeah, that perfectly describes me"?

"Gentleness" refers to the patient submission of an individual in the midst of mistreatment, injustice, and disgrace, without anger, malice, or revenge, even though you have the power to retaliate and the right to do so. This does not describe us in any way, but it certainly describes Jesus. I think of Jesus there in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night that he was betrayed. Judas, his betrayer, was a friend and a disciple.

Someone who had been with Jesus for three plus years approached Him from behind as a contingent of Roman soldiers arrived. He came to Jesus and kissed Him on the cheek, signaling to the soldiers who they should take into captivity. They took Jesus away. Peter, one of Jesus' disciples, knowing the story well, pulled out a sword and cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest. He disregarded the Roman soldiers and, perhaps thinking he was being smart, attacked one of the high priest's servants.

Jesus told Peter to put away his sword. He then repaired the man's ear, demonstrating His compassion and power. He said to Peter, "Do you not know that if I wanted, I could at this moment call twelve legions of angels to my side?" This statement reflects incredible meekness. Consider it as the basis for everything that Jesus willingly endured during His trial, His beating, and His crucifixion. At that moment, He could have called legions of angels to His defense.

Sometimes, meekness is mistaken for weakness. Those who witnessed Jesus on the cross thought this way. They said, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. If you are truly the Christ, get yourself down off that cross." They did not realize that He had all power in the universe, with every heavenly host and every being in the heavenly army at His disposal.

Meekness is power under control. It is the ability to avenge oneself and choosing not to do so. Jesus is undoubtedly the greatest example of this. This is why Paul says in this passage, "I beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ." Paul does not exalt himself in this; he exalts Christ.

As I have been reflecting on this over the last couple of weeks, I have been deeply convicted by it. Deeply convicted by it. When we see the character of Christ exalted, we see...

We find ourselves in the light of who He is, and we recognize that we could never be as He is. As is always the case, when you are a teacher or one who preaches the Word, one of the occupational hazards, if you will, is that without fail, you will always be tested by the very things you teach others. You will always be confronted personally in your life by the principles that you declare to others.

Now, I know this in teaching the Word, and I recognize that just about every time I come to a passage of Scripture that has a challenging word, like the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I am going to be tested in this. Let me tell you, over the last two weeks, I have been tested. A few days before we left for Ireland, I received a phone call from my wife. She said there was a really bad sound coming from our car. I asked, "What kind of sound?" She replied, "You'll have to listen to it."

When I listened, it was one of those sounds that, as soon as you hear it, you can almost feel money quickly leaving your savings account. You know that sound? In the midst of that, it was as if I could hear in the back of my mind the Spirit of God or just the Word of God saying, "It's a test; it's only a test." I thought, "Man, this is not good."

My neighbor, who is a mechanic, is named Pablo. I called him and said, "Pablo, can you come and take a look at this? I'm going to be home in about 20 minutes." He came over to the house, listened, and said, "Yeah, that's bad. That's a bad sound. That's like the bottom of your engine."

The next day, I took it to the mechanic I often go to. He did a quick once-over and said, "Yeah, this sounds like it's a bearing, a lifter in your engine." I didn't know what any of that meant. I mean, I could fix a computer, but I can't fix a car. In that moment, I remembered that when we bought this car a couple of years ago, we purchased an extended warranty. I thought, "Wow, praise the Lord, there's a silver lining."

So, I found the file, and sure enough, it was a 36,000-mile extended warranty—three years, 36,000 miles. We are at two years and 31,000 miles.

Miles, praise the Lord.

Okay, I have to take it to the dealership. I dropped it off two weeks ago tomorrow. I said, "Listen, I'm going to leave on Thursday. We're going to be gone in Ireland for about a week. We can communicate through email; you can let me know what the problem is and what needs to be done. We can try to work it out with the warranty company to fix this." So, I started going through all that. They said, "Listen, we're going to need some maintenance records." We gathered whatever we could find, and then we got on a plane. When we came back, we hadn't heard anything.

I called them Wednesday a couple of times, Thursday a couple of times, playing phone tag here and there. I called them Friday, this last Friday, a couple of times between 10 and 5. They were closing at 5 o'clock. While I was driving down El Norty Parkway, they called me. "Hey, we're really sorry to tell you the warranty company says you don't have enough maintenance records. We don't want to fix it. They don't want to pay for it. We'll fix it, but they don't want to pay for it."

Okay, what does that mean? How much are we looking at? "It's going to be about $7,000." What? I was really happy I was sitting at a stoplight when he said that. But what? $7,000?

Now, in that moment, the meekness and gentleness of Christ was nowhere on my radar screen. As we are often tested, I'll confess to you right now, I lost my cool.

In the midst of that, we see the reality that we are, and never will be, in and of our own strength Christ-like. But we see one more thing. Look at verse 3 of 2 Corinthians chapter 10. "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh." We're all human. Those who are believers and those who are unbelievers, we're all human. We all walk in an earthly, fleshly temple, a tabernacle. But for the Christian, Paul says, we do not war according to or after the flesh. What does he mean? Well, the word for war in the original language is the same word from which we get our English word "strategize."

Strategize. Though we walk in the flesh as human beings, as Christians, we don't strategize according to a carnal, earthly method. Why? Look at the next verse, verse 4. For the weapons of our strategizing, of our warfare, are not carnal; they are not earthly. The weapons of our warfare are mighty through God to the tearing down of strongholds.

The Apostle James says that the wrath of man does not accomplish the righteousness of God. The weapons of our strategizing, the way that we work as Christians, are not to be earthly, carnal, or fleshly, even though we are just as human as the person who doesn't go to church. The way that we live and the way that we interact in this world is to be different because we have Christ in us and the hope that He will gloriously reveal Himself in His meekness and in His gentleness through us.

You see, the fruit of the Spirit, one of the fruits of the Spirit, is the very same word that's translated here in 2 Corinthians chapter 10: meekness. One of the evidences of God working in and through us is meekness. In that situation, I will confess to you right now that I did not see the fruit of the Spirit in my reaction, and it deeply grieved me. The second I got off the phone, I was just so convicted by it.

In all honesty, when I woke up yesterday morning, I thought, I don't even want to go to church on Sunday. And I'm the pastor. You can't do that. So, I started to consider this word meekness again. It's used in Ephesians chapter 4, verses 1 through 3. Paul says, "Therefore, I, the prisoner of the Lord, beg you that you, Christian, would walk worthy of the calling wherewith you've been called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long suffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

Again, in Paul's letter to the Colossians, this word is used in several of Paul's letters. In Colossians 3, verse 12, he writes, "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, those chosen by God, holy and beloved, tender mercies, kindness, humility of mind, and meekness."

And long suffering. In 1 Timothy 6, verse 11, Paul says to Timothy, "But you, O man of God, flee wickedness and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness." In 2 Timothy 2, verse 24, it states that "the servant of the Lord must not strive, but he must be gentle." Gentleness and meekness are the same Greek word, and we are called to be gentle unto all men, able to teach, patient, and in meekness, instructing those that oppose themselves. If God, per adventure, will give them repentance, acknowledging the truth.

In Titus chapter 3, verse 2, we are instructed, "Do not speak evil of any man, do not be brawlers, but be gentle, showing all meekness unto all men." Listen, church, the objective, the aim of Christ, is that we would be Christlike. We are to represent gentleness and meekness when we are confronted with situations where, in our flesh, like every other human being in the world, we don't want to be gentle and meek.

However, we have the power in Christ to be so because He has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness. This means He has provided everything we need to live life in a godly way. I often return to a verse that resonates with me: Philippians chapter 2, verse 12, which says, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Verse 13 continues, "For it is God who works in you to will and to do that which is pleasing to Him."

I had to come before the Lord, and I did so several times, saying, "Lord, I need You to work in me, to will and to do what is pleasing to You." Apart from Him, I can do nothing. I have no strength in and of myself. The faster we can recognize what Paul acknowledged in 2 Corinthians chapter 3, verses 5 and 6, the better. He said, "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as being of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God, who has made us able ministers of the new covenant."

We must come to the place where we confess, recognize, and realize—not just as a show for others, but as a reality in our lives—that apart from Him, we truly can do nothing.

Christ-like behavior is often pursued through our own efforts, but the weapons of our warfare, our strategizing, are not carnal. They are not earthly or fleshly; rather, they are mighty in God for the tearing down of strongholds. Most specifically, these strongholds are the fleshly ones within our own lives.

We often filter that great verse through the strongholds of F Street bookstore, the pubs, or whatever wickedness exists in town. The reality is that the greatest stronghold to overcome is the inward flesh. God, we need You to do that in us because we just can't. Far be it from us, as stated in 2 Corinthians chapter 10, to commend ourselves by judging ourselves against one another. When we look around and say, "Well, I'm better than that guy," Paul calls it foolishness. Christ is the standard, and we never measure up in our flesh. The sooner we recognize that, the greater the power we will experience in our lives. Amen?

Paul says, "Therefore, I will most gladly boast of my weakness, for when I am weak, then I am strong."

Let's stand and pray. Father, I thank You that You work in us to will and to do Your good pleasure. Work in us as a church and as individuals. As we leave here in a moment and return to our lives this week—whether in a school environment, a work environment, or our neighborhoods—God, work in us to be pleasing to You.

Help us to see when we are confronted with difficult situations that they are tests. Lord, help us to be quick to repent when we fail, that we may exalt You and reflect You in the world in which we live. This is our prayer, and we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

I don't know.