| Teacher: Rusty Kennedy Series: 2 Corinthians (Acts) |
Rusty's Notes | |
- We start today with the 2nd part of Paul’s “Fool’s Speech”.
- Paul is continuing to explain his weakness.
PAUL AND THE FALSE APOSTLES
2 CORINTHIANS 11
32 In Damascus, a ruler under King Aretas guarded the city of Damascus in order to arrest me. 33 So I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped from his hands.[1]
- Paul had to escape the city in one of the lowest forms of exiting guarded city.
- There was no parade for Paul.
SUFFICIENT GRACE
2 Corinthians 12
1 Boasting is necessary. It is not profitable, but I will move on to visions and revelations of the Lord.
- Paul was “boasting” in the previous verses because that is what the professional speakers did.
- But Paul chose to boast about his weaknesses rather than his strengths which is totally opposite of the talented speakers.
- But now Paul is actually boasting about something positive.
- Paul is referring to himself but speaking in 3rd person because he doesn’t want to talk about himself like the “super Apostles”/false teachers.
- The Jews of the day in apocalyptic literature believed that there was a heavenly Jerusalem, and that heavenly Jerusalem had a heavenly tabernacle or temple, and it was laid out like the earthly tabernacle or temple.
- In fact, Hebrews talks about this in Hebrews 8, saying that when Moses built the tabernacle, he did it on the basis of looking into heaven itself, seeing the heavenly tabernacle, and kind of sketching that out and using that as the design for the earthly tabernacle.
- So here, Paul is giving that kind of Jewish apocalyptic idea of making this trip to heaven, and it seems that when he describes this experience, he is snatched up into the very presence of God, right into the throne room of God in heaven.
- God also honored Paul by taking him to heaven, and then sending him back to the earth again.
- This marvelous experience had taken place fourteen years before the writing of this letter, which would place the experience in about the year 43 AD.
- This would be the period in Paul’s life between his departure for Tarsus (Acts 9:30) and his visit from Barnabas (Acts 11:25–26).
- There is no record of the details of this event, and it is useless for us to speculate.[2]
- That’s the significance of the third heaven.[3]
- Paul says the words are inexpressible because he does not want to focus on this story being about him and his experience.
- This is opposite of what the false teachers would have spoken about.
- The false teachers would have spoken about all the things they have experienced first-hand.
- It could also mean that God spoke words that could only be heard in heaven.
- If most people experienced this visit to heaven, they would have told people immediately.
- Paul waited 14 years to mention it.
- The word “thorn” is actually referenced a few other times in the Scripture.
- In every case these refer to some form of opposition[4]
- It could have been a physical ailment: malaria, epilepsy or even an eye disease… or even a speech impediment.
- Possibly a psychological or mental health issue. Such as anxiety, depression or even sexual addiction.
- I personally believe that Paul is referring to his constant battle of teaching truth and being falsely accused by the Judaizers everywhere he went.
- When you look at this broader context in 11:22–12:10, if you’ll notice, the list is primarily talking about hardships involving persecution.[5]
- God did not give Paul an explanation, but He gave him a promise.
- A beautiful ending to Paul’s “Fool’s Speech” is referring to his power is perfected in his weakness so the Good News could be advanced.
- When you get down to bottom and realize the only option you have is God… you are probably in a great spot.
- When you no longer have the ability to make the same unsuccessful choices… repeatedly…
- Then maybe it’s time to give up on you making the choices and let the holy living God who resides in you… to make your choices for you.
SIGNS OF AN APOSTLE
11 I have been a fool; you forced it on me. You ought to have commended me, since I am not in any way inferior to those “super-apostles,” even though I am nothing.
- Paul is speaking to a minority in the Church at Corinth.
- The majority have already gotten on board with Paul.
- He’s just referring to a few people who have continued to listen to the false teachers.
- So Paul had to speak “foolishly” because that is what they have been attracted to.
- Paul is directly saying to them, “You should have already got in line and not made me deliver this foolish message.
- What validated great speakers/teachers in the Corinth society (an even today) is the amount of money that was given to support their ministry.
- Paul did not do this.
- He did not take money from the Church in Corinth and they saw this as an insufficiency in Paul’s ministry.
- If he would have taken the money, he would have more credibility in society.
PAUL’S CONCERN FOR THE CORINTHIANS
- We can understand the whole structure of 2 Corinthians on the basis of them getting ready—getting ready by embracing his authentic ministry, getting ready by taking up the collection for Jerusalem, and getting ready by dealing with the false teachers in 10–13.[6]
- Paul is not planning on changing his ministry ways.
- He wants to support and give to the Church at Corinth.
- Paul is being sarcastic here.
- He is actually saying that he did opposite of what the false teachers did.
- He did not use their tactics… which they thought were honest.
- He sent others to minister to them as well and they patterned their ministry after Paul as well.
- Titus and others did not take anything from the Church at Corinth.
- Everything Paul and his team of ministers did was done with integrity.
- Paul wanted to clarify that he was not defending his ministry or style of ministry.
- He was explaining how they have done ministry with authenticity and integrity.
- It was more about the ministry to the Church than it was about Paul’s personal ministry.
- Paul is wanting the Church at Corinth to all be on the same page when he arrives.
- The Church is less than 5 years old.
- The Church is made up of many different house churches and many different teachings.
- He wanted them all in unison.
- Paul is encouraging transparency and community.
- Moral impurity, sexual immorality and sensuality are not just Corinth’s issues.
- They seem to be every society’s issue.
[1] Christian Standard Bible (2 Co 11:1–33). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 673). Victor Books.
[3] Guthrie, G. H. (2018). NT337 Book Study: Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. Lexham Press.
[4] Guthrie, G. H. (2018). NT337 Book Study: Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. Lexham Press.
[5] Guthrie, G. H. (2018). NT337 Book Study: Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. Lexham Press.
[6] Guthrie, G. H. (2018). NT337 Book Study: Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. Lexham Press.
[7] Christian Standard Bible (2 Co 12:1–21). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
RSS Feed