Series: 2
Corinthians
Title: Commending
the Commendable
Text: 2
Corinthians 12: 11-12
Date:
January 18, 2018
Place:
SGBC, New Jersey
2 Corinthians 12: 11: I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I
ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very
chiefest apostles, though I be nothing. 12:
Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs,
and wonders, and mighty deeds.
The
desire of God’s saints is to hear Christ and him crucified preached in every
message. And Christ’s true preacher desires to only preach Christ in every
message. We desire to hear the one way
sinners like us can be just which is in God giving his Son who laid down his
life to fulfill his own law and justify his elect.
But there
are certain passages which teach us something that is our responsibility and
that is for a very needful reason. Our text tonight teaches us our responsibility
in “Commending the Commendable.”
The
reason this is so important is so that the gospel of Christ and him crucified
will continue to be preached among us.
The reason false preachers gained a footing in Corinth is because the
Corinthian’s failed to commend Paul. It had a negative effect on everyone
involved.
Proposition: It is needful for believers to commend faithful pastors,
especially before those who bring reproach upon them, so that false preachers
and false brethren are not able to enter the church and cause the gospel to
cease being preached.
We ought
to commend all our brethren in Christ, especially when they need to be defended
before the enemy. But we will focus on
the pastor since our text does.
NO DESIRE TO GLORY
2 Corinthians 12: 11: I am become a fool in glorying;
Christ’s
true preacher has no desire to glory in himself or to be gloried in. Paul said, “I am become a fool in glorying.”
When Paul gloried, he gloried only in the total inability of his
flesh.
2 Corinthians 11: 18: Seeing that many glory after the
flesh, I will glory also…30: If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things
which concern mine infirmities.
The
reason Paul gloried in the total inability of his flesh is because when he was
weak in himself, he was strong in Christ’s Power:
2 Corinthians 12: 9:
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made
perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my
infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10: Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in
necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am
weak, then am I strong.
Christ is
the Power and Wisdom of God for his people.
Isaiah 40:29: He giveth power to the faint; and to them
that have no might he increaseth strength.
Christ is
our Strength of Righteousness—he is
our only Righteousness—the LORD our Righteousness. He is our
Strength of Holiness—“Both he that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified
are all of one for which cause he is not ashamed to call us brethren”—that is
only so of those Christ has made holy. Christ is the Strength of our Life—Christ said, “I am the Life”; Christ the
Life in you is the Life of our new man within!
He is the Strength of our Faith—Christ
is the Author and Finisher of our Faith—we are kept by the power of God through
faith unto salvation. Christ is the Strength
of our Resurrection—Christ said, “I am the Resurrection.” In all, Christ is
our Strength!
But even
though Paul only gloried in Christ his Strength, to show it he had to speak
more about himself than he wanted. Even when he listed all those times he
suffered and was totally weak depending upon Christ his Strength, he spoke more
about himself than he wanted too. So he said, “I have become a fool in glorying.”
God’s
preacher knows he is sent to glorify the triune God in the Lord Jesus Christ. We declare to men that all the glory in salvation
belongs to God in Christ.
Isaiah 42: 8: I am the LORD: that is my
name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven
images.
Isaiah 43: 7: Even every one that is called by my
name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made
him.
1 Corinthians 1: 29:
That no flesh should glory in his presence. 30: But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us
wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31: That, according as it is written,
He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
So when a
believer hears his pastor: one, faithfully preach Christ according to the
scriptures, giving the Lord all the glory and man none, and two, when his
pastor lives so as not to bring glory to himself only to the Lord then that is a
faithful minister of Christ. So it was with Paul. Therefore, the Corinthians
had every reason to commend Paul.
OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO COMMEND
2 Corinthians 12: 11: I am become a fool in
glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you:
It is the
responsibility of the believer to commend Christ’s faithful minister. Remember, this is Christ, through the Holy
Spirit of God giving Paul the words to write. Christ says to the Corinthians, “Paul ought to have been commended of you.”
This is Christ teaching you and me that we ought to commend our faithful pastors.
Why is this important?
One, God’s word says we should.
1 Timothy 5:17: Let the elders that rule well be counted
worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.
Galatians 6: 6: Let him that is taught in the word
communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.
Both
those verses speak particularly of monetary support but it holds true for
giving thanks to my pastor and commending my pastor, especially when he needs
defending.
1 Thessalonians 5: 12: And we beseech you, brethren, to
know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish
you; 13: And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake.
“Esteem
them very highly in love for their work’s sake.” I truly love my pastor and I tell him often. I
esteem him highly for his work’s sake. Now I know the labor involved to find a
message, to prepare and to preach it. He has the same sin and obstacles you and
I have, the same family responsibilities, plus the care of the brethren to whom
he ministers. So I “esteem my pastor
very highly in love for his work’s sake.”
Two, commendation of a faithful pastor is
important because the way we honor our pastor is how we honor Christ and God
our Father. When Christ sent out his apostles to preach
he said,
Matthew 10:40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he
that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
By divine
election, by blood redemption and by the new birth, God’s people are
inseparably one with God our Father and Christ his Son. Christ said, “I in them, and thou in me, that
they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast
sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” (Jn 17: 23) So if I fail
to honor and highly esteem and commend my pastor, I fail to do so to God my
Father and Christ my Redeemer.
Three, our commendation of Christ’s minister
shows what we think of the gospel of Christ because Christ’s preacher is
preaching God’s gospel. Paul said of himself and his fellow ministers,
1 Corinthians 4:1: Let a man so account of us, as of the
ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
When
brethren thank me for preaching a message the whole conversation turns to
Christ. When I was lost, I never thanked my pastor for that very reason: I was
afraid I would reveal I did not know Christ.
So when I see folks who do not thank a pastor after he has preached the
gospel to them, besides thinking it is rude, it makes me wonder if they even rejoice
in the gospel of Christ. Our thankfulness and commendation says much about what
we think of the gospel of Christ because Christ’s preacher is preaching God’s
gospel.
Four, by not esteeming, by not being thankful
and by not commending my pastor, I can cause my pastor to be cast down. It is not merely because he desires to be thanked. But because
he is fearful there is not love and gratitude in my heart toward Christ. The ultra-pious often excuse themselves from ever
thanking or commending their pastor by saying they are keeping him humble,
keeping him from being puffed up. Please get this point: you and I are not
sovereign. We cannot keep ourselves humble
much less anyone else. Christ alone keeps his people humble and he alone gets
the glory. Paul said lest he should be exalted, Christ gave him a thorn in the
flesh. Christ alone keeps us humble. But
by being ungrateful, by not defending and commending my pastor, I can cause my
pastor to be cast down. What if you
worked long hours to obtain a gift that you gave someone you love then after
they opened it, they walked out without saying a word to you?
Five, commendation is so very important
because (this is the point of our passage): it was the Corinthian’s failure to
commend Paul that gave the false preachers a foothold in Corinth. Paul repeats this throughout this letter, “I should have been commended of you.” After hearing the false preachers slander
Paul, the Corinthians were silent. And by the Corinthians being silent, rather
than commending Paul, their silence said to the false preachers and to everyone
around, that the Corinthian’s were critical of Paul, too. It showed the false
preachers where to appeal to the Corinthians, at the point they deemed the
Corinthian to be critical of him. Also, when those older in the faith did not
commend Paul, it made those younger in the faith question Paul. When an older
believer commends a faithful pastor, it assures younger believers he is
faithful and true. But if not, it makes the
younger question him or be critical if he hears the older being critical. Plus, by not commending Paul, it gave
credit to the false preacher’s slander. So by simply not commending Paul, the
false preachers were able to slip in and turn the Corinthians against Paul,
against Christ and against his gospel. This is why commendation is so very
important.
This is
why Paul had to commend himself.
Understand, Paul did not commend himself in his preaching. He taught us earlier
in the letter that we are to only seek the commendation of the Lord. But Paul had to commend himself for the sake
of true believers at Corinth, for the sake of the gospel of Christ, for the
sake of the glory of Christ and for the sake of not giving credit to the false
preachers and their lies. The sad
thing—and you know it broke Paul’s heart—is that he had to commend himself.
CHRIST MAKES HIS MESSENGER COMMENDABLE
2 Corinthians 12: 11…for in nothing am I
behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing. 12: Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all
patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.
These are
the reasons they should have commended Paul. In all these things, it was Christ
who made him commendable. Christ makes his messenger commendable by his
sovereign, irresistible grace. Christ
our Redeemer is our risen Head with all power to sovereignly make his people
commendable.
One, Christ made Paul commendable by turning
Paul from false humility—2 Corinthians 12: 11…for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest
apostles. Paul is not boasting. He had just spent
two chapters declaring that it was by the grace and power of the Lord Jesus
Christ that he was what he was. It was by Christ that he could say “in nothing am I behind the very chiefest
apostles.”
But it
would have been false humility for
Paul not to acknowledge that Christ had made him equal with the chiefest
apostles. If God has given you a talent,
when someone commends you for it, it is fine to acknowledge it, as long as you
give the glory to God for giving it. But to say you do not have a talent when it
is obvious that you do it is false humility. And false humility is nothing but self-righteous
pride.
This
applies to the gospel. Some refuse to say that the inner man within a believer
is created after God in righteousness and true holiness. Instead, they say all
we are is sin. Indeed, as Paul said, “In
me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing.” But the reason the Spirit of God made Paul
qualify that statement is because the new man in God’s saints is the work of
Christ and everything God creates is good.
We are not glorying in ourselves. We confess that “in our flesh”, in that part that is born from Adam’s corrupt seed, “dwelleth no good thing.” But we must exalt Christ who shed his blood
that he might fulfill his promise and create a new man in his people in his righteousness
and his holiness in the image of God by the incorruptible seed. Else we would
only be sinful flesh and could have no communion with God. False humility is
self-righteous pride.
Two, Christ made Paul commendable by humbling
Paul so that he acknowledged that in himself he is nothing—2 Corinthians 12:
11…for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing. Being an apostle of Christ, could Paul not stand
against temptation better than you and me? Not anymore than you or I when
unassisted by the grace of God. Being an apostle, could not Paul pray better
than you and I? He was just as dependent upon Christ to give him the spirit of
grace and supplications as we are. Could Paul not love better than
you and I since he was an apostles? Not without the Spirit of God shedding the
love of God abroad in his heart just as we depend upon him to do so in us.
When Paul said, “In
me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing” he meant, like us, in his
flesh he was nothing! He meant everything
given him was given by Christ through the Spirit in the inner man just as it is
with every believer here now. Christ
commands us Lazarus’ to come forth and with the command comes the power to come
forth. Christ commands us to stretch
forth our withered hand and with the command comes the power to do so. But
without Christ we are nothing and can do nothing. If you would really be
something then learn that you are nothing. Grace has made a man attain
something of infinite value when he can say, "Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." "[I am] less than the
least of all the saints."
Three, Christ made Paul patiently endure suffering—2
Corinthians 12: 12: Truly the
signs of an apostle were wrought among you. In all patience. Christ
made his apostles suffer far beyond his other ministers. It was by Christ’s
strength alone that Paul patiently bore all his infirmities, reproaches,
necessities, persecutions, and distresses for Christ’s sake. Had he not been made an apostle and sent by
Christ, had Christ not given him a heart for God to receive all the glory in
salvation, had Christ not given him a heart for God’s elect, and had Christ not
kept him, Paul would never have patiently suffered all the things he did, while
continuing to preach the gospel in truth.
Though, Christ’s ministers today do not suffer anything close to what
his apostles suffered, it is by Christ’s strength alone that they patiently
endure and continue faithfully preaching Christ, while the whole world goes
after another jesus which is not another.
Four, Christ confirmed Paul to be an apostle
by making Paul work works only the apostles could work—2 Corinthians 12: 12: Truly
the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and
wonders, and mighty deeds. Christ gave only his
apostles the ability to work supernatural miracles such as: raising the dead,
healing the sick, cleansing lepers, casting out devils, speaking in different
tongues (languages) they had never learned, and so on. These things confirmed
them as apostles of Christ as they completed the new testament scriptures and
established the early church. But
when the last apostle died, these gifts died with them.
Yet,
today, by the strength of Christ working through his ministers the miracles of grace
which those miracles pictured are still being performed. By Christ, through the
preaching of the gospel, by the Holy Spirit, sinners who are spiritually dead are being raised to
newness of life. By Christ the great
Physician, by the Holy Spirit, through the preaching of the gospel, sinners with
the sickness of looking to their will
and their works are made whole by being turned from themselves to faith in
Christ. Spiritual lepers who are unable
to cleanse themselves of their sins and unrighteousness are brought to confess
their sins to Christ and are cleansed by the blood of Christ who laid down his
life for his sheep. While dead in our
sins we were under the power of the devil
like the demoniac of Gadera: living among the dead and no man could tame us
with chains of legal bondage. Then Christ came and cast out the devil—binding
the strongman and spoiling his goods. Now, like the demoniac, we are seated at
Christ’s feet in our right mind. Now, by
the love of God shed abroad in our hearts, we
speak a language we never knew—the language of the gospel of Christ, the
language of grace and love, the language of God’s Israel.
So let me
leave you with this. The man who is able to give Christ all the glory in his
preaching and in his life, the man who after all these miracles of grace are
performed can say, “Not that we are
sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency
is of God” is a minister that Christ has made commendable. (2 Cor 3: 5) And it is needful that we commend the
commendable—faithful ministers, as well as all faithful brethren. It is needful
for the good of our brethren, for the gospel of Christ and for the glory of
Christ! So concerning our pastors, if Christ has made them commendable then Christ
says we ought to always be commending the commendable!
Amen!