(2Corinthians 12:2-4; Deuteronomy 29:29; Luke 16:25-31)

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1. To Keep Me: __________________________!

2Corinthians 12: ⁷To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. NIV

(Philippians 3:4-6; Numbers 33:55-56; Romans 5:3-4;  1Peter 5:6-7; James 4:6)

2.  To Get Me:  _____________________________________!

2Corinthians 12: ⁸Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. NIV

3.  To Display His:  _______________&_________________!

2Corinthians 12: ⁹But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.NIV

(Romans 5:20-21; Genesis 3:17-18; Matthew 27:28-29; Revelation 22:3-5; 1Peter 5:10-11; Galatians 6:9)

Chapter 12

1- I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord – Visions and revelations in N.T.:

• Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, had a vision of an angel (Luke 1:8-23).
• Jesus’ transfiguration is described as a vision for the disciples (Matthew 17:9).
• The women who came to visit Jesus’ tomb had a vision of angels (Luke 24:22-24).
• Stephen saw a vision of Jesus at his death (Acts 7:55-56).
• Ananias experienced a vision telling him to go to Saul (Acts 9:10).
• Peter had a vision of the clean and unclean animals (Acts 10:17-19 and 11:5).
• Peter had a vision of an angel at his release from prison (Acts 12:9).
• John had many visions on Patmos (Revelation 1:1).
• Paul had a revelation of Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 22:6-11 and 26:12-20).
• Paul had vision of a man from Macedonia, asking him to come to that region to help (Acts 16:9-10).
• Paul had an encouraging vision while in Corinth (Acts 18:9-11).
• Paul had a vision of an angel on the ship that was about to be wrecked (Acts 27:23-25).

2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows – This could be during Paul’s ten years in Syria and Cilicia (Galatians 1:21-2:1), at his stoning in Lystria (Acts 14:19), or during his time in Antioch (Acts 13:1-3).

7   To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me – Thorn (Skolops) could be better translated “stake,” as in a tent stake not a little thorn!

What exactly was the thorn in the flesh?  Some suggestions:

• Spiritual harassment.
• Persecution.
• Physical or mental ailment.
• Lustful and sinful thoughts..
• An earache or a headache.
• Sir William Ramsay said it was a type of malaria common to the area that he served as a missionary.
• Poor eyesight based on other writings of Paul.

Galatians 6: ¹¹See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand! NIV

Galatians 4: ¹⁴Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself. ¹⁵What has happened to all your joy? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. NIV

Chapter 13

1 This will be my third visit to you. “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” – Deuteronomy 19:15.

5      Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? – Were they really born again?

Are You Really “Born Again”?

• Have you confessed and believed? (Rom 10:9-10)
• Do you have Peace With God and peace of God? (Romans 5:1; Phil 4:7; Col 3:15)
• Do you have the witness of the Holy Spirit in your heart? (Rom
• 8:9, 16)
• Do you love the brothers? (1 John 3:14)
• Is there a turning from the world (1 John 2:15)
• Is there an interest in God’s Word (Rom 10:17)
• A growing sensitivity to sin (I John 3:9; 5:18).
• Do you practice righteousness? (1 John 2:29; 3:9)
• Are you living a life of godly separation? (1 John 5:4)

An impulse to witness to others (Acts 1:8)

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1. Battle Of: __________________________!

2Corinthians 10: ³For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. ⁴The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. NIV

(John 8:44-45; 1Timothy 4:1; 1Peter 5:8-9; Ephesians 6:12; Daniel 10:12-13; Daniel 9:1-3)

2.  Battle From:  ____________________________________!

2Corinthians 10: ⁵We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ….NIV

(Romans 10:8-10; Deuteronomy 30:11-14; Matthew 10:32-33; Hebrews 13:5-6)

Chapter 10

1 By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” when away! - There is a description of Paul found in the apocryphal work Acts of Paul and Thecla: “And he saw Paul coming, a man little of stature, thin haired upon the head, crooked in the legs, with eyebrows joining, and nose somewhat hooked, full of grace: for sometimes he appeared like a man, and sometimes he had the face of an angel.”

4   The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds – See Ephesians 6.

5   We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ – The battlefield is the mind.

17 But, “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” ¹⁸For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends – Cf. Jeremiah 9:23-24.

Chapter 11

2 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him – The betrothed couple, though not allowed to consummate the union physically, was legally regarded as husband and wife; and it could be broken only by death or divorce, and unfaithfulness during that time was considered adultery (cf. Matt. 1:18-19). The betrothal period culminated in the ceremony, marking the completion of the covenant. During the betrothal period, it was the father’s responsibility to ensure that his daughter remained faithful to her pledged husband. He would then present her to him at the wedding ceremony as a pure virgin.

3   But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ – Cf. Genesis 3:1-5.

4   ⁴For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough – Some commentators believe that this “different gospel” was the legalism preached by Judaizers to the Galatians (see Galatians 3:1-6). Galatians 1:6-9 describes this legalist teaching as a different gospel. And the false teachers in Corinth were Jews who were bragging about their Jewish heritage (11:22). So, according to this view, the “other Jesus” was a Jesus who taught obedience to Jewish laws as the way to salvation. However, in this letter, instead of discussing the law, Paul reinforced over and over that his credentials as an apostle came directly from Christ. And as proof of that, Christ had demonstrated his power through Paul’s weaknesses (3:1-5; 4:8-12; 6:3-10; 11:16-33). Apparently the false teachers were boasting of their superior credentials (3:1; 11:22), their speaking ability (10:10; 11:6), and their ecstatic spiritual experiences (12:1, 12). They had begun to compare their ministry to Paul’s. The Isthmian Games, held at Corinth, featured many speech contests in which contestants would speak on a given subject and be judged. The speaker who could impress the audience would win. And so, this  “other Jesus,” was a powerful speaker and a wonder worker—not the suffering and crucified Jesus whom Paul preached (see 1 Corinthians 1:23; Philippians 2:5-11).

6   I may not be a trained speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way. – The phrase “not be a trained speaker” in the Greek is ἰδιώτης Idiōtēs. It means an idiot or ignoramus. They were calling Paul an idiot.

24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one – Cf. Deut 25:3.

33 But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands – Cf. Acts 9: 23-25

“This toast of high rabbinic circles, this educated and sincere Pharisee, this man who had access to the highest officials in Jerusalem, slunk out of Damascus like a criminal, lowered like a catch of dead fish in a basket whose smelly cargo he had displaced” (D.A. Carson From Triumphalism to Maturity [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1984], 127-28).

(Isaiah 52:11; Matthew 3:1; Matthew 4:17)

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1. Repentance Means: _____________________!

2Corinthians 6: ¹⁷“Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” NIV

Metanoia: a change of heart and life; a turning from sin to holiness; a change of direction.

(Romans 12:2)

2.  Repentance Starts With:  _________________________!

2Corinthians 7: ¹⁰Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. NIV

(John 8:34-36; Proverbs 5:22; Matthew 27:3-5; Acts 1:18-19; Matthew 26:69-75; Psalm 51:1-6)

3.  Repentance Leads To:  ___________________________!

2Corinthians 7:¹⁰Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. NIV

(2Chronicles 7:13-14; Matthew 3:8; Psalm 51:12)

Chapter 7

1 Since we have these promises…. – Cf. Ch 6:17-18.

10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death – Repentance = Metanoia: A radical change of heart which turns a person (as in the Prodigal Son), and heads him back to the Father. Cf. Psalm 52:4.

Chapter 8

1 And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches – Macedonia was a Roman province located in present-day northern Greece; Corinth was the capital of the southern province called Achaia at the time. The three churches of Macedonia Paul had in mind were Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. Macedonia was a poor region; ravaged by wars and plundered by the Romans. But despite its deep poverty, the Macedonian believers were amazingly generous (cf. 2 Cor. 11:9; Phil. 2:25; 4:15, 18). Cf. Luke 21:1-3.

7   But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving – Grace = charis.

9   For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich – “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” (Matthew 8:20).

• He was born of a woman
  • so that we could be born of God;
• He humbled Himself
  • so that we could be lifted up;
• He became a servant
  • so that we could be made co-heirs;
• He suffered rejection
  • so that we could become His friends;
• He denied Himself
  • so that we could freely receive all things;
• He gave Himself
  • so that He could bless us in every way.

15    as it is written: “He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.” – Exodus 16:18.

18    And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel - Ancient commentators assumed the person was Luke because they took the phrase “his service to the gospel” to mean that this person had written a Gospel book. Other commentators have suggested that Apollos or Barnabas may have been this brother. Most commentators suggest that this brother was a representative from the Macedonian churches. Sopater from Berea or Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica could be possibilities (see Acts 20:4-5). Other commentators insist that the fact that Paul stated that Macedonians were accompanying him later implies that this brother was not a Macedonian. These scholars, therefore, offer Tychicus and Trophimus as possibilities (see Acts 21:29).

Chapter 9

6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously – This is a principle that appears throughout the scriptures: Luke 6:38; Prov 11:24; Rom 8:32; Gal 6:8.

7      Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver – Cheerful = Greek: hilaros, hilarious!

9      As it is written: “He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor;  his righteousness endures forever.” – Isaiah 55:10-11.

Four Reasons for the Tithe

1. It acknowledges the Creator’s rights. The Tenth of all is His.
2. It is the antidote for greed and covetousness.
3. It is a test of our faith.
4. It is the solution to every financial problem.

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1. You: ____________________________!

2Corinthians 5: ¹Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. NIV

(Hebrews 9:27-28; Revelation 20:11-15; Luke 16:22-26; John 11:25-26)

2.  You:  __________________________________________!

2Corinthians 5: ⁷We live by faith, not by sight. ⁸We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. NIV

(Ecclesiastes 7:2)

3.  You:  __________________________________________!

2Corinthians 5: ⁹So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. ¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. NIV

(1Corinthians 3:11-15; Philippians 1:21-24; 2Corinthians 6:2; James 4:13-14)

Chapter 5

1 Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands – Cf. John 14:2.

2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, ³because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked – Cf. Rev 3:7.

5   Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come – “Guranteeing” = arrabon used today of an “engagement ring.” (Cf. Sealing: 2 Cor 1:22; Eph 1:13-14.).

8   We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord – Refutes “soul sleep,” (the believing dead are held in some sort of suspended animation until the resurrection occurs) and the false doctrine of “purgatory” (the believing dead must be “cleaned up” through their own suffering before coming into the presence of God).

9   So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it – Paul urged the Ephesians to try “to learn what is pleasing to the Lord” (Eph. 5:10). He described the Philippians’ financial support of him as being “well-pleasing to God” (Phil. 4:18). In Colossians 3:20 he noted that children’s obedience to their parents “is well-pleasing to the Lord.”

10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad - Bema Seat – In the New Testament it was used of the judgment seats of Pilate (Matt. 27:19; John 19:13), Herod (Acts 12:21), and Festus (Acts 25:6, 10, 17). There was also a bēma at Corinth, where unbelieving Jews unsuccessfully accused Paul before the Roman proconsul Gallio (Acts 18:12, 16, 17). Cf. 1 Corinthians 3:12-15.

1. What exactly will be judged at the Bema Seat:

1) Our Deeds (1 Cor 3:13; 2 Cor 5:10; Rev 2:23) must be according to Scripture (1 Cor 9:24; 2 Tim 2:5). Must emerge from motivation to bring honor to God (Rev 2:23; 1 Cor 4:5; Mt 6:1-4; Heb 4:12-13; Col 3:22-25; 1 Cor 10:31). 2) Our Faithfulness (Mt 24:45; 25:23; Lk 16:10; 1 Cor 4:2; Rev 2:10). 3) Our Words (Mt 12:36-37; Lk 12:2-3).

11   Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience – Cf. Hebrews 10:31

12   We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart – Cf. 1Sam 16:7.

15   And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again – Cf. 1John 2:2.

20   We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God – ambassador: 1. A diplomatic official of the highest rank appointed and accredited as representative in residence by one government or sovereign to another, usually for a specific length of time.

Chapter 6

1 As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain – We are fellow workers with God!!! Grace in vain means receiving God’s grace and favor and then hindering the work of that grace in and through our lives.

14   Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? - The idea of do not be unequally yoked together is based on Deuteronomy 22:9-10, which prohibited yoking together two different kinds of animals; clean animals and unclean animals.

15   What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? – Belial is a word borrowed from Hebrew, meaning worthlessness or wickedness.

17   “Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing,  and I will receive you.” ¹⁸ “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” – Cf. James 4:4. God’s love is possessive (Jer 3:14; Isa 54:5; Hos 2:14, 20; 2 Cor 11:2,3).

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