After the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympics, I haven’t really wanted to watch any of the competitions. Now, I’ve never been into watching the Olympics, but this time around I’m even less enthused. But, there is one thing that has come out of the games this year that I find, amazing, inspiring, and hilarious. It’s a 51 year old Turkish shooter named Yusef who took silver in the 10 meter air pistol competition. The backstory of this guy seems to be that he took up shooting as a way to spend time with his kids after his divorce.
Jokes about him being a hitman, because he doesn’t have all the gear you normally see on shooters, bombarded the internet. And it’s the memes that I love. Like the one where they put Yusef next to John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson from the movie Pulp Fiction. People went crazy about him because he showed up in jeans, his own corrective lens’, and shot with his hand in his pocket, like he was out on a Saturday morning plinking around shooting at soda cans.
In one article about him, they said that, in the shooting world, professionals said Yusef just showed up one day and started winning tournaments, and it started people questioning their own approach to the sport.
But that’s a good thing. A challenge to be better is always something that can up the level of competition, and push the boundaries of any given endeavor. And when we examine our own abilities, it can show where we need improvement on, so that greater things can be achieved.
It’s this self-examination that brings us back to our summer study in 2nd Corinthians, where we’ll be picking it back up in chapter 12, verse 11. And as we open up to 2nd Corinthians 12:11, lets look back on the last two three weeks, to see the connective thought of Paul.
In the final section of Paul’s letter, he began to address the false teachers, or “super-apostles,” who were causing problems within the Corinthian Church. These people were accusing Paul of being bold in his letters and weak in his physical presentation. Paul addresses this by revealing that all his letters are written from a boldness to stand firm in Christ, and a humbleness that seeks to restore people to a right walk with Jesus. When he’s physically present, Paul conducts himself the same way. The interpretation that Paul is bold only in his letters, is a mis-reading of Paul’s work, and speaks more to the spiritual state of the person, than to the writer. So we saw how we are called to such a bold humbleness as we too are called to stand firm in Christ, and seek restored relationships.
Following that, we began to look at a three part connective thought of Paul. The first part dealt with how to spot a “super-apostle.” Those who fall into this category are those who try to make themselves greater than people around them. They make the Word of God harder to understand, they seek to gain more from the people than they need to live, and they seek people to serve them more than they themselves serve. What we saw is that the remedy for this is to be servants ourselves, that way we don’t fall into the mindset of a “super-apostle,” and to follow those who serve others as Christ serves.
Finally last week, Paul talked about how “super-apostles” will rely on their strengths. Strengths are the easiest thing to work from, because we’re good and confident in them. But those strengths can become idols and something by which we can judge ourselves against other people. So Paul calls us to weakness. To recognize and allow God to work through our weakness, even recognizing that our strengths can be weaknesses too. When we humble ourselves and allow God to work in our weaknesses, we actually see greater work from God, because it truly shows how great God is.
By connecting these first two parts, we can see that the antidote to a “super-apostle” is service out of weakness, something that every believer is called to do.
Let’s look at the final connective part, as Paul finishes up with the “super-apostles” in 2nd Corinthians 12:11.
12:11 I have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you. For I was not at all inferior to these super-apostles, even though I am nothing. 12 The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works. 13 For in what were you less favored than the rest of the churches, except that I myself did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong!
14 Here for the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be a burden, for I seek not what is yours but you. For children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. 15 I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less? 16 But granting that I myself did not burden you, I was crafty, you say, and got the better of you by deceit. 17 Did I take advantage of you through any of those whom I sent to you? 18 I urged Titus to go, and sent the brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not act in the same spirit? Did we not take the same steps?
19 Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? It is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ, and all for your upbuilding, beloved. 20 For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. 21 I fear that when I come again my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those who sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality that they have practiced.
13:1This is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 2 I warned those who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again I will not spare them— 3 since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. 4 For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God.
5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 6 I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. 7 But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. 8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. 10 For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.
v.12:11-13:4:
At the end of chapter 12 and the first several verses of 13, we see Paul’s final plea to the Corinthians to make sure that they are seeking the Lord. That they are getting their house in order, so to speak. To make sure they realize the difference between the “super-apostles,” and the work of Paul and his companions. It’s really a rehash over several other areas Paul as brought up. But it is also Paul’s warning that he is coming for a third trip, and if we take what Paul has said earlier, he desires it to be a joyful trip, not a trip that would bring about harsh rebuke. So, it’s his final plea for the Corinthians to get their act together and expel the “super-apostles.”
v. 13:5-10:
So how can the Corinthians prepare for Paul’s visit? How can they get their house and act together? Examination and testing. Paul is calling them to self-examination and testing of their spiritual condition.
This is the self-examination and testing that David did when he wrote in Psalm 51, as he cried out to the Lord, “7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. (v.7-12)”
This is the call from Jesus in Matthew 7:1-5, when he said, “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.”
Self-examination and testing of what is and isn’t godly in our lives, is a standard practice for the disciple of Jesus. With it, we grow in our walk with the Lord. Without it, we suffer at the hands of “super-apostles” and grow ever frustrated with not seeing God work.
Connecting all three of these thoughts then, Paul is calling the Corinthians to service, putting aside our strengths so that God can work in our weakness, and then having continued self-examination of our motives and desires so that we continue to be in a place where the Holy Spirit can do his transforming work.
Self-examination is what God is calling us to. And like service is the antidote to “super-apostleship,” and weakness is the antidote to our strengths being idols, self-examination is the antidote to our walk with Christ becoming stagnant. Breakthroughs happen when we take an honest, Holy Spirit led look at ourselves and seek to say what David wrote to God, “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! (Psalm 51:2)”
That’s one of the reasons why we celebrate the Lord’s supper. It’s a time of reflection on the purpose of the crucifixion. The crucifixion was a one time work of Christ to bring salvation to humanity. His body was broken, that sin might not break us. His blood covers us that we would be counted as righteous. It’s a one time act that ripples throughout eternity, and yet, while still in these bodies, we sin. Self-reflection is a daily work to remember Christ’s work on the cross and to be active in our spiritual growth that Paul calls sanctification.
In making a habit to self-reflect, we are working out our salvation. Following the service passage we talked about two weeks ago, Paul wrote this to the Philippians, “12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. (2:12-16)”
My challenge for you this week is to take a self-examine of your spiritual life. In your bulletins is a set of twelve spiritual self-examination questions from the C.S. Lewis Institute. Take time this week and work through the twelve, answering as honestly as you can. As you do, understand that it’s not meant to make you feel bad, but help you see the growth that has and needs to happen. If you periodically review it, you will see the mighty work that God continues to do in you as he brings you closer to himself.
As believers, let us be people you cry out to God for his continued work, and you continually reevaluate that work so that we may grow ever closer to him. Amen.
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