Rev. David Holwick E Introduction to 2 Corinthians series
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
January 31, 1999
Acts 18:1-11
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SERMON SUMMARY: An overview of the life of Paul of Tarsus. He has had
a profound impact on world history but when he wrote 2 Corinthians
he felt he may have failed. Ultimately our significance comes from
God alone.
I. How much of an impact has your life made?
A. All your work - for what?
1) How your kids have turned out.
2) How your job has advanced.
3) What the community thinks of you.
B. Everyone wants to think they are somebody.
1) We don't want to be famous, but significant.
2) We cannot make ourselves significant, others give it to us.
II. Who was Paul?
A. He is more significant than you may think.
Each year an agnostic Jewish historian at a major United States
university stuns his vast Western Civilization lecture
section with the statement,
"The conversion to Christianity of a man as remarkable as Paul
has ever after forced historians to deal seriously with the
claims of Christianity.
That a man of his caliber could take Jesus Christ seriously
means we must, too.
You may not accept Jesus' claims, but because of Paul you must
consider them if you are truly going to be an historian."
#1443
Many modern Jews consider Paul to be the founder of Christianity.
Jesus may have been the instigator, but Paul molded it.
B. Paul's beginnings.
1) From city of Tarsus in Turkey. Acts 21:39
a) Population size of Boston - half million.
1> Specialized in weaving of linen and making tents.
2> Large trading center.
3> Big university, after Athens and Alexandria.
b) Not a "cow town."
1> Cleopatra visited city (ancient Marilyn Monroe).
2> Cicero had been mayor.
c) Paul's family must have had property or money to
be citizens.
1> Strict Jews, not hellenized.
2> Paul studied in Jerusalem. Acts 22:3
3> Gamaliel a liberal teacher.
2) Phariseeism.
a) 6,000 in whole country.
b) Mainly ordinary people who wanted the religious
regulations for priests to apply to everyone.
c) Pharisee means "separated."
1> Similar to "fundamentalist."
2> Very disciplined, determined. Fanatical?
3) Unlikely first setting - stoning of Stephen. Acts 8:1
a) Young man Saul present.
1> Probably 24-40 years old.
2> Thoughts on hearing Stephen forgive his killers?
b) Began to destroy the church. Acts 9:1-2
1> Went as far as Damascus, 130 miles away.
C. God's call. Acts 9:3 ff
1) We still speak of a "Damascus Road" experience.
a) Unusual event - sounds, visions.
b) Others knew something happened, but weren't sure what.
c) For three days he is blind.
1> Undoubtedly re-assessing his life.
A> Not saved immediately, but processing it.
2> He believes, is baptized, and immediately preaches.
2) Paul, an apostle.
a) Not by normal means - abnormally born. 1 Cor 15:8
b) His experience of Jesus was different than the others.
(detractors in Corinth were highlighting this.)
3) Personal characteristics.
a) Perhaps short. "Unimpressive." 2 Cor 10:10
b) Had physical disabilities.
c) Great inner stamina and faith.
III. The city of Corinth. Acts 18
A. Decadent.
1) Similar to New York City. "Corinthian girls."
2) Loose morals and looser religion.
B. Sports fanatics.
1) Like our youth director, who is glued to football games.
2) Paul may have made tents for the spectators.
C. Results and resistance.
1) He operated within synagogues.
2) He was opposed, but converted the synagogue ruler.
3) Gentiles were his next mission field.
4) He poured more effort into this city than any other.
IV. Paul's significance is challenged in 2 Corinthians.
A. Lots of discouragement in letter.
1) Real problems in church.
a) Control freaks on loose.
b) Moral scandals.
2) His first letter didn't "work."
a) Same problems remain.
b) New problems - Paul's authority is now challenged.
B. Plenty of encouragement in letter.
1) Some consider it most human book of New Testament.
2) Corinthians had failed, but Paul (and God) did not
abandon them.
3) This second letter worked and they mended their ways.
V. Key themes of 2 Corinthians.
A. The need for competent leadership.
"Because leadership is necessarily an exercise of
authority, it easily shifts into an exercise of power.
But the minute it does that, it begins to inflict damage
on both the leader and the led.
Paul, studying Jesus, had learned a kind of leadership
in which he managed to stay out of the way so that
the others could deal with God without having
to go through him.
"All who are called to exercise leadership in whatever
capacity - parent or coach, pastor or president,
teacher or manager - can be grateful to Paul for
this letter and to the Corinthians for
provoking it."
#1278
B. The need to balance weakness and strength.
C. The need for purity in the church.
D. The need for openness and acceptance in relationships.
E. The need to carry through on commitments.
VI. Our significance must rest in God.
A. God still calls people like he called Paul.
Omar came from a strong Muslim family.
When the kids were young the father forced them to go to the
mosque and obey all the rituals.
Yet Omar wouldn't just pray because he had to; he would cry out
with tears, "God, I want to know you. Talk to me."
Once he was on a train, and he saw a foreigner sitting quietly.
He said, "Hello, my name is Omar."
The foreigner smiled and said, "Hi, my name is Bill."
They talked until they reached his destination.
He gave Omar his address and said, "Come visit and we'll
talk more."
Omar's heart was restless; he couldn't forget about that man.
The following week he visited him, and they soon became good
friends.
One day he found his foreign friend sitting in his living
room with a dark face instead of his usual smile.
He was reading the newspaper and he said, "Omar, I think we
can never be friends."
He showed Omar a newspaper article that said Muslims can never
have friendships with Christians.
Omar replied, "Bill, you don't understand.
They can be friends, but your faith is different."
He had been thinking that he should share Islam with him and
bring him to the mosque.
Now was the moment! So he said, "Bill, what you believe is
wrong."
Bill replied, "Remember that today you have asked to talk about
religion, not me."
[Restrictions in Omar's country bar Christians from actively
witnessing.]
Omar agreed.
They went to his friend's office and closed the door.
Bill showed Omar a Koran (Islam's holy book) in his own
language, not Arabic.
"Being a Christian, I have a Koran," he said.
"Being a Muslim, do you have a New Testament?"
"No, why should I? It is rejected."
Bill asked, "Where does your Koran say that? Can you show me
a single verse?"
He responded, "Well, he have heard it from the imam [Muslim
worship leader]."
Omar had never read the Koran in his own language.
Bill showed Omar some verses where it said they should read
the previous books, not just the New Testament but the books
of Moses and the prophets.
He was so surprised that he grabbed the book from his hands.
Why had he never heard this before?
Bill said, "Open your eyes. Open your heart.
God is not limited, my friend.
He made you and will show himself to you. Ask him."
Omar went home with a storm in his heart.
He was so accustomed to following a culture, a ritual.
But he kept praying.
Bill helped Omar know more from the Koran, from the Bible, from
different books.
Omar couldn't eat; he couldn't sleep.
Bill saw the restlessness in his heart and said, "Omar, this is
the time to challenge God.
Find a quiet place, close the door and kneel before him.
Ask him to come to you in the name of Buddha, in the Hindu gods'
names, in Muhammad's name and in Jesus' name.
See which name he answers."
Omar went home, washed his face, came to his room and closed
the door and windows.
He knelt before God and put a chair in front of him, like God
would come and sit there.
He said, "God, all these years I have prayed to you.
You know my heart. I want to know you.
I need to challenge you.
Talk to Omar.
If you are the God who created Omar, I ask you to come to Omar
in Buddha's name."
He waited. No answer.
Then he said, "I ask you to come to Omar in the name of all
those Hindu gods.
If this is the way you want Omar to worship you, I will worship
those idols."
He waited five minutes, 10 minutes.
No answer.
Then he started praying in the name of Muhammad.
His heart was heavy, because he always had such respect toward
Muhammad, the holy, beloved prophet of God.
He told God, "All these years I have been praying to you
through Muhammad.
The time has come now to ask you if Muhammad is the anointed one."
There were tears in his eyes.
He waited, 10, 20, 30 minutes.
No answer.
Then, unwillingly, he said, "If you want Omar to pray in Jesus'
name, if he is your real anointed one, I ask you to come
and talk to Omar."
He didn't have to wait 30 minutes!
Right at that moment, he felt like someone walked into his room.
The hair on his body stood up.
He felt from his feet to his head that somebody was touching him.
He heard a voice saying, "Omar, I am Jesus, your Lord.
I love you. Do you want to know anything more?"
"No, my Lord. I trust you! You are my Lord from today.
All these years I have been worshiping God, and he never
answered.
Today, you answered."
Omar didn't sleep that night.
Such joy filled his heart that he had never felt before.
The next day he went to see Bill.
Before he said anything, he understood.
He hugged Omar and said, "Son, are you ready?"
He said, "Yes, I'm ready."
In his living room he made his profession of faith.
Later that year he was baptized and he still serves the Lord.
#4503
B. Where does YOUR significance come from?
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
#1278, "The Message" Bible, introduction to 2 Corinthians, by Eugene H.
Patterson.
#1443, Lamplighter Bible Study Commentary, "2 Corinthians," by Aida
Besancon Spencer & William David Spencer, Zondervan Publishing,
1989, page 17.
#4503, Internet: Baptist Press (with Goshen.net); www.baptistpress.org;
"First Person: He Prayed in the Name of Buddha", by "Bill" and
"Omar"; January 12, 1999.
These and 4,500 others are part of a database that can be downloaded,
absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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