would be in 2 Corinthians chapter 2. And I'll begin with reading the chapter. 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 maketh me glad? but the same which is made sorry by me. And I wrote this same unto you, lest when I come 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. For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears, not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you. But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part that I may not overcharge you all. Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. so that contrarywise ye 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 ye would confirm your love toward him. For to this end also did I write that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things. To whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also. For if I forgave anything to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ. lest Satan should get an advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices. Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord, I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother. But taking my leave of them, I went from Thence into Macedonia, Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish. To the one we are the savour of death unto death, and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? For we are not as many which corrupt the Word of God, but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, speak we in Christ. Shall we pray? Loving Father, we do thank you for the reading of the Word of God this morning. Pray you will bring it to our hearts and apply it to our lives, Father, that we may recognize that Christ is all in all to us, in every circumstance, in every situation, and we thank you father that you would bless us as a group of people at the body of christ that we might love one another in jesus' name amen well if there is anything that we see in this particular book second corinthians uh... it is a more personal side of the apostle and his love for the believers at Corinth well understanding that uh... each one of these uh... ministries that Paul was involved with were very important to him and that he was personally involved in beginning these churches, we recognize that he was personally, emotionally invested in them. He loved the believers at Corinth, and even though they had many problems, as churches often do, yet we realize that he desired to see the church at Corinth to flourish, that is, to be prosperous and to be blessed, and that they might continue faithfully the Word of God. Now what was going on? Well, we've already seen much of what has taken place. There was one particular act of immorality that took place in the church at Corinth, and it was necessary for discipline of that particular person. Paul wanted to come to Corinth again and to have some communication with them, and so he did. touch bases with them, but moved on to Macedonia and then on the way back he was going to stop again at Corinth, but his plans changed and there is some sense that perhaps he did write another letter to the church at Corinth, although it is not is not extent today. We don't have it. But that is only a speculation. But the one thing that we do know is that the Apostle Paul was desirous to see these believers in Christ to truly love one another and to forgive one another. And if anything, we see that in chapter 2. This sense of forgiveness and restoration. You know, when it's necessary to have some sense of discipline, that's important, that we might have discipline in churches. But then, as soon as the discipline is given out, and the person is repentant, that is, they have changed, they have turned back to the Lord again, they're sorry for their sins or whatever may have happened, they're sorry for that, then it's necessary to bring some sense of restoration to the fellowship. And see, that's what the apostle is really talking about here, is that sense of restoration. to the fellowship again. And so as we begin the chapter, he begins by saying, but I determined this with myself that I would not come again to you in heaviness. That is, he didn't want to come to the church at Corinth and simply just bring some sense of rebuke or chastisement to the church. Rather, he wanted to build them up. So he says in verse 2, for if I make you sorry, who is he then that maketh me glad? But the same which is made sorry by me. Well, in other words, he didn't want to come to the church and just bring them some sense of excitation and make them sad all over again. So he would rather come to the church or write to the church or let it be known to them that as he has disciplined them in the past, now it was time for healing. And of course churches need healing. many times from different things that take place. And so it's always good to bring healing once there's been some discipline and that was the case here at Corinth. In verse 3, 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." Now, of course, he wanted to rejoice with the church at Corinth. Well, you know, one of the things that every pastor wants is to have a fellowship that he can rejoice with. And see, that is one of the things that we should desire as a congregation, isn't it? We want to rejoice together. There are times when we weep together, that is true, but it is more important after the weeping is to rejoice. And so the apostle wanted to rejoice with the church, they call it, and so he really expressed that to the church. He says in verse four, for out of much affliction and anguish of heart, I wrote unto you with many tears, not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you. Well, verse four is the verse which some believe indicates that perhaps there was another communication to the church at Corinth. another note of some sense, another brief letter perhaps, but we don't have it. All we have is this little notation here. He says that I wrote unto you with many tears. Well, the church at Corinth had its problems and the apostle felt bad for the problems they had and he didn't want them to continue in that grief and sorrow. So he says, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you. The love of God, of course, is that which we should be expressing to everyone within the church, no matter even if there are some problems that need to be dealt with. And of course that's what he is trying to say. He says, the reason I wrote to you is because I love you. I really want you to know that I care about you and want to see you improved and rejoice with you. In verse 5, if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part, that I may not overcharge you all. Sufficient to such a man is this punishment which was inflicted of many. So in verse 5 and 6, he's really saying, well, You know, I told you to deal with the matter of immorality in the church and you did. You excommunicated the man for a time. That is, you told him that he needed to repent of his sins if he was going to be welcomed in the fellowship. And so they asked him to leave the church and consider his sin. And he did that, and because of that, of course, the man repented. He repented of his sins. And he said, sufficient to such a man is this punishment. It was sufficient. And he doesn't, the apostle did not want that they would continue to inflict any punishment upon this young man who had committed this immorality. In verse 7, so that contrary wise ye ought rather to forgive him and comfort him lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with over much sorrow. So what happens if forgiveness isn't made known? A person can become very distraught and depressed over it and it may cause the person to not return to church, not return into fellowship, even though they've been disciplined. And so it is necessary to bring restoration to a person who has suffered some discipline in a church. Now perhaps you know of someone that has suffered some kind of moral failure for a time and that they have been disciplined by the church and you wonder how that person is doing. Or there may be still some stigma about that person committing some sense of immorality. And you say, well, such and such a person did something, did this or that or the other thing, you might mention it. But you know, the thing that really matters is that the person can be restored to fellowship. That's the thing that really matters. Of course the discipline matters, but after the discipline is carried out, then fellowship must be restored. Because only then do we prove ourselves as really loving one another and recognizing that God has dealt with the problem. And so that's what he wanted. He wanted them to forgive this man and to restore him back into fellowship again. And so verse 7, so that contrary wise, you ought rather to forgive him. So you ought rather to forgive him and comfort him. unless perhaps such a one should be swallowed up of overmuch sorrow." So the sense of forgiveness and the sense of comfort of a person, what does that mean? Well, it simply means that you do forgive a person for things that they might have done, even if there's some moral failure. I mean, anybody can commit some moral failure. Anybody can. You might say, well, I would never do that. We all hope never to commit any kind of moral failure, but sometimes it happens. And when it happens and a person is willing to seek forgiveness of the Lord and to repent of it, then it's necessary to say to the person, you've repented of your sin, now it's time to come back into fellowship with us. We want to receive you again and to encourage you in Christ. We want to encourage you in Christ. So restoration is very important when there's been some sense of discipline to an individual, and that's what the Apostle Paul is saying in verse 8. Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him. He says, you ought to forgive him, you ought to comfort him, you ought to confirm your love to him. Verse 9, for to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things. And so the apostle Paul was saying you need to be, you was obedient in disciplining the individual, now you need to be obedient in forgiving. the individual because it's important that he would be restored into fellowship after he has confessed his sin. In verse 10, for whom ye forgive anything I forgive also if I forgave anything to whom I forgave it. For your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ." So the Apostle Paul is simply saying, if you are willing to forgive, certainly I am willing to forgive. I forgive in the person of Christ and I'm not going to hold anything against this individual who committed this act of immorality because We need to restore him. And why? Because if we do not restore those who seek forgiveness, those who repent of their sins, then perhaps verse 11 would come into play. Less Satan should get an advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices. You know, sometimes we think if a person has committed some sin, that all of a sudden we're better than they are. Well, that's not necessarily true at all. Because we're all capable of sinning. And so what does it show? It shows true humility that we recognize that yes, we could be guilty of such a thing too. if the circumstances were right. We could just be as guilty. And we ought to learn to forgive those who repent because Satan can get an advantage over us. And usually what happens is we become puffed up in our own pride. We say, oh, I'm so much better than so-and-so. I didn't do that. I'm so much better than they are. They did some terrible thing, but look at me. I didn't do that, and I'm so much better than they are. And the next thing we know, Satan could get an advantage of us. You see, that's the way that it usually goes. These people who hold grudges against others, even sometimes Christians do that, and it isn't right that they should do that. If a person has confessed their sin and they have sought the forgiveness of the Lord, then they ought to be restored and we ought not to look at them as if they are inferior. He says, unless Satan should get an advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices. You see, Satan has many strategies, if you will. The strategies of Satan are many. We never know when he's going to strike, you know, if he can get a foothold somewhere. And you say, well, Satan is just one person. He can't be everywhere. Well, that's true. But you remember, he took a lot of demons with him when he fell from his glory with the Lord. And it seems like those demons are at work. And we find them in the New Testament being mentioned. We find them in the Gospels being mentioned. And of course, even in the Old Testament there are demons mentioned. And so we recognize that Satan has many strategies that he uses. And yes, Satan is a real person. He was a fallen angel. He was created by God, but sin was found in his heart, and he turned away from God and fell from that grace. And so we recognize that he has his means of influencing people to do evil. in verse 12. He says, Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord, I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother, but taking my leave of them, I went from Thence into Macedonia. So now he mentions that there was an opportunity for him to preach the gospel, And even Paul had some difficulty because he wanted to meet up at Troas with Titus, but he could not because of some circumstance that arose. And so he says, I had no rest in my spirit because I found not Titus my brother, But taking my leave of them, I went from there and into Macedonia. And so bringing this sense of restoration to the church at Corinth and the possibility of him having another open door of ministry to preach the gospel, Yet he found that he could not do it. Why was he hindered? Well, for some reason God allowed that he could not fulfill what he wanted to do there. But he does say, I had no rest in my spirit. And so he was anxious in his spirit. Perhaps the trouble at Corinth left him with an anxiety. that he felt. I do not know for sure, but it may have had something to do with it. That this particular anxiety that he had may have been in part due to the situation there in Corinth. and whether or not they were going to restore this man into fellowship again. And so he wanted to go to Troas and to preach the gospel, and he was somewhat anxious over this. In verse 14, Now thanks be unto God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the saver of his knowledge by us in every place. Well, when we come to the New Testament, we find that Christ is the one that gives us hope. The Church of Corinth found that their hope was in Christ, and that even this sense of disappointing this man who was taken in some immorality, we recognize that if there was going to be any true restoration in Christ, then it would come because of the love of God, the love of Christ. And so he makes this assessment here. And he gives thanks unto God. And he says, God is the one who causes us to triumph in Christ. God is the one who reveals himself in every place, whether it's in the gospel, or whether it's in fellowship with one another, whether it's in our need to discipline someone, whether it's in our need to restore someone to fellowship, Christ is the one who allows us to triumph in these things. in verse 15, for we are unto God a sweet savor of Christ in them that are saved and in them that perish. And so the sweet savor is a wellness really is perhaps taken from the Old Testament sense of burning incense and a sweet savor that was offered unto the Lord. but then some believe also that he may be referring to an incense that was burned by those who were victorious over their enemies in Rome. And that what happened when a general went to war and he and he was able to be victorious, he would bring back his army and the captives would march before them and they would have a certain amount of fanfare and triumph, victory triumph, and they would burn incense. And this burning of this incense was a kind of sweet savor that was displayed at the time because of their victory. Well, Paul is saying, well, for us it is Christ. Christ is our sweet saver. Christ is our victory. Christ is the one who we go before and find ourselves giving praise unto God, because Christ is the one who has blessed his people, who blesses us. And so in effect he's saying, well you've been victorious, you had problems at the church, you've dealt with those problems, now it's time to rejoice that the problems have been dealt with and you can restore this man back to fellowship. I had the opportunity of going to Troas find Titus and to preach the gospel to that open door. And my spirit for a time was somewhat troubled about these things. But he still wanted to go back. Paul wanted to go back. He says, I went from there unto Macedonia. So he wanted to complete his gospel ministry. But he says, Christ. Christ is our sweet saver. Christ is the one who is our victor and the one that we truly find a blessing in. Now look at verse 15 again, for we are unto God a sweet saver of Christ in them that are saved. And so to those who are saved, the Corinthians in particular, He says Christ is our sweet saver. We preach the gospel and we carry the message of Christ unto those who would know the Lord. And he says, and in them that perish to the one we are the saver of death unto death and to the other life unto life. Now what does he mean here? Well, as the Gospel is preached, whether it be at Troas, or whether it be at Corinth, or whether it be in Macedonia, as the Gospel is preached, it becomes a savor of life unto those who receive the Gospel, but it becomes a savor of death unto those who do not receive the Gospel. Now, why is that? Well, because we find that if people who are unsaved do not want to receive the message of Christ, they reject it. And because they reject the message of the gospel of Christ, they are left to themselves. And we find that the Bible says the wages of sin is death. but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord and so to one the gospel becomes a saver of life to the other it becomes a saver of death uh... because they will not receive the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ uh... and so he says the effect it can run in both directions the saver of the Lord Jesus Christ is either sweet to those who receive the gospel or it is repulsive to those who do not receive the gospel. And of course, we find that there are many who reject the gospel of Christ. He said, they won't believe the gospel. They are offended by the gospel. Well, the gospel is an offense. The cross is an offense to the unsaved. Have you ever tried to preach the gospel to someone telling them that Jesus is the Savior and that Jesus can forgive their sins? And they say, well, I don't believe that stuff. That's just a fairytale. You know, we don't believe that today. That's old. It isn't true anymore. And they'll kind of say bad things about the gospel. And they say, I have my own church out in the woods, and whenever I want to go to church, I go fishing, or I go hunting, or I go for a hike, or something like that. That's my church, you know, they'll say. But that is not the truth of the gospel. The truth of the gospel is that the church is the called-out assembly of believers. The church is not the building. The church is the called-out assembly of believers, those who believe and trust in Jesus Christ. You see, those who make their church the woods, or fishing, or hunting, or hiking, and they never go into the church, and they reject the gospel, they are saying that they do not believe in Christ. And they don't want a fellowship with those who do believe in Christ. And so to them, it is not a saver of life. The gospel is not a saver of life to them. It becomes, rather, a saver of death. Why? Because the wages of sin is death. All has sinned and come short of the glory of God. There is none righteous, no, not one. All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, the scripture says. You know, we are told over and over again that the wages of sin is death. And we find that Paul says, I'm preaching the gospel, I want to go to Troas, I'm going to go to Macedonia, I've been to Corinth, and he names a number of areas of ministry that he's involved with, and he says Christ is our true victory. Christ is our true hope. Christ is that love which we are to show to others. Christ is our rejoicing with one another. Do what you must do, discipline when you must discipline in the church, but remember to restore. those who need to be restored, because restoration is important, lest Satan gets an advantage of us. And in verse 17, he finishes this by saying, 16 and 17, to the one we have the savor of death unto death, and to the other the savor of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? For we are not as many which corrupt the word of God, but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, we speak we in Christ. Now there were those who would corrupt the word of God. He is really telling them that even in Corinth there were those who would corrupt the Word of God. Remember, Paul had a certain number of people that were his enemies. They were basically his enemies and they were in competition with him. Some of them wanted to supplant his ministry. But Paul was saying, he says, we do not corrupt the Word of God. We speak the truth. We speak the simplicity of the Gospel of Christ. The death, the burial, and the resurrection of Christ. This is the simplicity of the Gospel. The death, the burial, and the resurrection of Christ. And he says, we are not as many which corrupt the Word of God. But as of sincerity, as in simplicity of the Gospel. But as of God, In the sight of God, what did Paul say that he spoke? Speak we in Christ. Speak we in Christ, you see. Paul had a clear conscience that he was speaking the word of God. He was not corrupting the Word of God. He told them at Corinth, yes, deal with the sin that's among your members, but don't forget to restore them. Don't forget to forgive them. Don't forget to show love unto them. Don't forget to remember that we are your rejoicing, you are our rejoicing in Christ, and that we are to have a loving and compassionate heart toward other people. yes even toward those who may sin and need to be disciplined and finally need to be restored. And so he writes this letter with some sense of regret no doubt, but at the same time with a great deal of hope because he wanted the church at Corinth to be to be whole. He wanted the Church of Corinth to be in full unity together in Christ. And only then as the church follows through with a true hope in Christ and forgiveness and restoration when necessary that they are able to get back into a full healthy relationship with Christ and that the church would be a blessing once again because you know any time that a church gets out of fellowship uh... with one another or any time the church has some particular moral failure or we know the The outside people are watching, right? The community is looking on. So they're looking to see how we're going to handle the situation. Are we going to say, well... person did wrong, we need to discipline them, and then are we going to say, well after they confess their sin, let's receive them back, let's bring them back into fellowship, let's restore them once again, let's show grace and mercy unto them, you see. And the community watches both, both things that go on. And we know that immorality takes place out in the world all the time. I mean, that's pretty much standard out there in the world. But when something needs to be done in the church, we need to do it right and in a godly manner and in a way that is a true savor of life unto life and for the glory of God. And so Apostle Paul gives his very emotional appeal to them. The gospel is a savor of life. And so in the end, for the church, the gospel must have that savor of life in the congregation. Shall we pray? Loving Father, we do thank you for your word to us. Thank you, Father, that you bless us with your word, and you have given us a full understanding of how we are to handle affairs, yes, even in the church, and how we are to preach the gospel, a sweet savor of life unto those who believe. In Jesus' name, amen.