Daniel's Notes

When God Revives His Church

5 min read

SeriesLocationSubjectsTakeawaysSermon Link
Allison on 2 CorinthiansEmmaus Orthodox Presbyterian Church---

💡Big Idea

Takeaways and Next Steps

📖Bible Passage

2 Cor 13:6-10

But I hope that you will know that we aren’t disqualified. Now I pray to God that you do no evil; not that we may appear approved, but that you may do that which is honorable, though we are as reprobate. For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. For we rejoice when we are weak and you are strong. We also pray for this: your becoming perfect. For this cause I write these things while absent, that I may not deal sharply when present, according to the authority which the Lord gave me for building up, and not for tearing down. [[2 Cor-13#v7|]][[2 Cor-13#v8|]][[2 Cor-13#v9|]][[2 Cor-13#v10|]]

Points

  • “We are often like one-eyed people among half-blind people, not realizing it is possible to see God with both eyes.”
    • We know so little of our great God.
    • If we knew more of Him, we would want to linger with Him and would not want to follow distractions.
    • We may have been well instructed (in Doctrine) but we were poorly nourished (spiritually).
    • Notice: We build massive cathedrals and church buildings, yet the least attended meeting is the prayer meeting.
  • We need a revival, but a revival is not something that we can accomplish. Only God can.
    • What makes a revival a revival is not so much that God does that which He does not normally do.
      • It is not like God does not ordinarily save and sanctify sinners.
      • What makes a revival a revival is that God does ordinary things extraordinarily.
  • Paul calls us to examine ourselves (v5). If we do so, then we would discover that we are not disqualified1 and this would truly be a wonderful discovery.
  • V6: Likewise Paul calls the congregation to examine Paul and his team. Likewise they would realize that Paul and his team were not disqualified.
  • ⭐: The knowledge of Christ leads to knowledge of self. You will not know yourself until you know God.
    • “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” Proverbs 1:7
  • Disqualification of ministers: ❓: What should we do when a minister is exposed to be disqualified because of their continual unrepentant sinful living?
    • The sinful acts of a minister do not negate the truth of the Gospel which you heard.
      • Allison: “There were people who heard the Gospel from Judas Iscariot and were converted.”
  • v8: We cannot do anything against the truth.
    • To kick against the truth is to kick against the goads.
    • 2 Tim 3.16 Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness,
    • John 17.17 Sanctify them in your truth. Your word is truth.
    • ⭐: We have the truth from God. This cannot be taken away.
      • But we must use, obey, read and believe in the truth.
        • Worship the One who speaks the truth.
        • What good is your Bible if it collects dust in your room?
      • There are questions and struggles which confound us, but the answers are found in this Book, the Bible.
  • When God revives His church, He makes people strong only through an awareness of their weakness.
    • Where is our strength? It’s not in our birth, our wealth, our intellect, our accomplishments.
      • All these things Paul called manure. These things control us and tangle us up in pride.
    • Examples of humility and weakness:
      • Isaiah said to God “Woe is me. I’m a man of unclean lips.”
      • John admitted weakness on the island of Patmos when God gave him his vision.
      • Gal 2.20 I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. That life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me.
      • Ps 91.2 I will say of Yahweh, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.”
        • God is my refuge, not me.
  • With forgiveness comes holiness. We can’t take one without the other:
    • Holiness:
      • Romans 12:1-2
  • When God revives His church, God’s people are brought up in apostolic teaching.
    • v10: God gave authority to Paul. Paul is not a leader in the church because of his teaching or competencies or birth or anything in himself. He’s a leader because God chose Paul despite his many weaknesses.
    • The authority given to Paul is not a harsh authority, but an authority that loves, builds, teaches and applies the Gospel.
    • These are the marks of revival. When God revives His church, they value the sound teaching of the Word of God.
      • God’s people are no longer weak scattered sheep, but they are His army.
        • ❓Are you a part of God’s army, who follows the Lamb? Come to Jesus today and put your trust in Him? He saves to the uttermost.

Application

Further Study

💬Discussion Questions

Footnotes

Footnotes

  1. “unless indeed you are disqualified” he says after ↩

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