The Benediction

(Message by Pastor Philip Joseph)

The first letter of Paul to the Corinthian church was well-received, read and followed. We saw earlier , how Paul responded to the queries of the church, as well as expressed his own concerns regarding divisions within the church in this first letter to Corinth. By and large, the letter had a great impact in the lives of the believers in the church; however, there were also ‘elements’ within the church who ‘floated’ the idea that Paul was not a true Apostle; but was fickle-minded because he changed his plans of coming to Corinth and that he was collecting money for his own gain.

Now imagine, Paul himself, was undergoing personal struggles – pleading to God about the ‘thorn in his flesh’ (2 Cor. 12: 7-9); was in Ephesus, preaching the gospel to a hostile multitude… and finding the whole city is in turmoil because of him and the gospel; he had a burden for the believers in Jerusalem who were under a severe famine and had sent out intentions of collecting money from different churches… in the mean time, there is news from the church at Corinth; not only does he hear about the repentance of the immoral man, after his first letter to the church, but he also hears about certain people talking against him…

It is against this backdrop, about 6 months after the first letter, Paul writes his second letter to the Corinthians. He starts off by saying, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Corinthians 1: 3, 4).

Comfort, comfort and comfort; that was his state according to Paul  … Paul patiently explains to the church at Corinth, that in fact, he had intended to come, but couldn’t make it (2 Cor. 1: 17 onwards); he explains that he will indeed come sometime with Titus; Paul clarifies that he was not collecting money by himself or for himself and that accounting is by other witnesses, not only before God but also men… further, Paul challenges the minority ‘group’ making the allegations of him being a ‘false’ Apostle; asking them to test themselves, whether their faith is true… Paul clarifies that he, indeed, is a true apostle of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 1:1).

If you look at all the letters of Paul in the New Testament, you will find deep truths of Christ and the Scripture and doctrinal statements-sometimes ‘hard to understand’. But the second letter to Corinthians is unique in being devoid of any lofty theological thoughts and doctrinal statements… in fact, it is a very personal letter of Paul, clarifying his stand and confirming his mission. Paul opens his heart and emotions and expresses his thoughts and feelings in this letter… and he ends the letter in a ‘telling’ fashion with a verse we are all familiar with: “The GRACE of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the LOVE of God, and the COMMUNION of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.” – 2 Cor. 13: 14

Yes, Paul pronounces this BENEDICTION to the church at Corinth… and it had a telling effect: the commotion within the church ceased, there was unity again in the Church at Corinth because of God’s mighty working; and within 3 months, the Corinthian church was restored to normalcy.

Are you in the midst of struggles, filled with questions and doubts? Receive the Benediction…the GRACE of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the LOVE of God, and the COMMUNION of the Holy Spirit be with you…

1. GRACE of the Lord Jesus Christ

Grace is not only the unmerited favor of our Lord; but, it is also the empowering strength of our Lord Jesus… the all-sufficient GRACE… through which we endure and overcome…

Adequate grace: Oh yes! Paul knew it so well in his struggles of the flesh… 3 times he pleaded with God to remove the ‘thorn in the flesh’… God’s answer: “My GRACE is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12: 9).

Amazing grace: Paul’s life was in danger… he was a man under trial, to be convicted; but during his defense, he took the opportunity to preach the gospel in Ephesus… the result: the whole city was in turmoil (Acts 19). But God made a provision for Paul to depart… (Acts 20:1)

Available grace: God’s throne is a throne of grace (Heb. 4:16)… it is available for US! “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that, we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” It is for everyone who is humble in heart… for God gives grace to the humble. Our God is a God of grace: “…may the God of ALL GRACE, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.” (1 Peter 5:10)

2. LOVE of God the Father

Do you think that you are misunderstood? Paul was misunderstood by a ‘minority’ within the church… Paul was labeled as a ‘false’ apostle, a money-launderer… but you can rest secure in God’s LOVE…

Assured Love: Be fully assured that God knows and God understands… God has promised "…I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters…” (2 Cor. 6:18). Receive God’s comforting love…that we may in reason comfort others. That is how Paul starts the letter to the Corinthians…

Abundant love: Paul, being accused a money-grabber, patiently explains, that in fact there are others too who are involved in the collection of gifts, from other churches as well…’providing honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.’ (2 Cor. 8:21). In the midst of misunderstandings, we can be secure in God’s abundant love for us. The Lord knows us…He cares for us.

Agape Love: It is the love of our Father…God SO loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son (John 3:16)… will He not give to us of what we ask Him? We can always live with hope. “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Rom 5:5).

The giving and sacrificial love is working in us…and fills us with hope and assurance. God knows and God cares…for we are more precious than many sparrows; God has His eyes on the sparrow and He has His eye on you! The very hairs on your head are all numbered… God knows things that you don’t know about yourself (now, do you know the number of hairs on your head, huh?).

If you are a student, you may not know what career to choose. If you are looking for a career-counselor, you can go first to the best counselor – God, the Father who loves you and knows everything about you… and much more than you yourself know! I did the same… some 25 years back, there were no personal computers in India, there was no IT course; yet, God made it that I choose that field and that early…

If you are looking for a spouse in marriage, go to the best marriage-counselor… no matching horoscopes, no blind-dating… Father loves and Father cares; hear Him. I did the same… and my spouse, this wonderful lady here, lived 500 km away…

Father loves, Father Cares, Father Gives! Every need of your life, you can submit to God the Father… believing, trusting Him to give the best. He sees the end from the beginning and arranges and ordains events that you may take steps of faith in love…to fulfill His purposes here on earth. Jesus said: “for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from the Father and have come into the world” (John 16:27).

3. FELLOWSHIP / COMMUNION of the Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit is not merely an influence…He is a person. He communes with us…talks intimately with us; we can have fellowship with Him. He is variously called the Helper, the Advocate, the Comforter, One who brings the words of Jesus to our remembrance, One who convicts us when we sin…; One who guides us into all truth; One who helps us to pray, for we do not know how or what to pray for…Holy Spirit helps us to pray according to God’s will

Abiding Fellowship: He will be with us always…Be sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit… for He is with us and will be in us. We shall receive power to be witnesses when He comes upon us…

We must experience the power of the triune God - we must experience the 'benediction' in our lives - the grace of our Lord Jesus, the love of God the Father and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all.

If God be for us, who can be against us? We read that the mountains melt like wax before Him: the power of God was very much evident in the church at Corinth. God solved the problems in the church within a few months; God solved the turmoil in the city of Ephesus... Paul confesses that his mission is complete: He says in Romans 15: 18 onwards that he has 'fully preached the gospel of Christ' in very many new areas. He continues "For this reason I also have been much hindered from coming to you. But now no longer having a place in these parts, ... whenever I journey to Spain, I shall come to you..."

The God we serve, ministers to us personally; He takes us to a place where He wants us to go. The God we serve is mighty; Is there anything too hard for the Lord? He causes streams to flow in the desert and wilderness to bloom...

O Lord we thank you, for Your grace; for Your love and Your fellowship. We receive it into our hearts and our lives. Work a work in our lives Lord by Your mighty power and take us to the place where You want us to be! Amen.