Revering the Word
2 Corinthians 13 Dealing with conflict honorably and in an unbiased manner.
Good morning, everyone. We close out 2 Corinthians today in 2 Corinthians chapter 13. This is the third time I am coming to you. Every fact or every word is to be confirmed by the testimony of two or three witnesses, or by the mouth of two or three witnesses. Sadly in Corinth, there was a lot of problems with division within the church, and there was also problems with sexual immorality, just many problems in the church, and Paul is trying to set a high standard. "Listen, don't come to me with gossip. Don't come to me with just somebody's word. What I need is there to be a fax and it needs to be confirmed by two or three witnesses because otherwise people can just have false accusation." One of the things that can happen regarding this idea of false accusation and the need of two or three witnesses is sometimes people just aren't objective. It's really important that when you're in a situation where there is a challenge or a difficulty or a conflict that people are objective. If someone's not objective, if someone's positioning themselves in opposition to someone else, they're many times not looking at things objectively and then the information or the communication that they put forth is not objective. They're sharing things from a biased perspective. That's why the apostle Paul is like, "Listen, we need to have confirmed by two or three witnesses because otherwise how do I know the information that you're sharing is objective?" What's supposed to happen, and we have at our church a conflict of interest, not conflict of interest, but a conflict policy. In Matthew 18, one of the many areas of Scripture that we can look to for advice on how to handle things. The first thing actually in the Bible, the Bible talks about blessed is a man who overlooks an offense. Not everything that happens has to be a big deal. Sometimes people, things happen and it's blessed as a man who overlooks an offense. Blessed is a man who's not easily offended. If you're around someone who's easily offended, that's a problem. You could have a problem at any time because someone is easily offended and it actually says in the Bible, blessed is a man who overlooks an offense to not make a big deal of everything that happens. That's actually honorable to do that, but let's say something is big that happens. Then how are we supposed to handle it? The Bible gives us instruction and praise God it does. It says, "If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private." The first thing that we're supposed to do if there is a problem is you're supposed to go to the person and go to them alone and deal with it one-on-one. It says, "If he listens to you, you have won your brother, but if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses, every fact may be confirmed." That's the second step is if you can't come to an agreement alone, then you bring other people in in order to address it with some godly others. Usually what happens is people don't do this. People usually gossip, slander, talk behind people's backs and create a whole mess of additional problems because they're not honoring the Bible and doing it God's way first. In fact, think about this. Paul's saying every fact here in verse 13 is to be confirmed by two or three witnesses. If somebody comes to you disparaging someone else, you shouldn't even listen to it. You should not even listen to it. You should be saying, "Why are you telling me?" Because you know what that's called when someone comes to you to talk ill of someone else? That's called gossip. They're not supposed to be talking to other people about it. They're supposed to be talking to the person who they need to talk to about it, not other people. Why is this all important? Well, you know, going back, but this two or three witnesses by the way is in the Bible and other areas, but another passage that's really important to take a look at is Proverbs 18, 17, and this is what it says there. "The first to plead his case seems right until another comes and examines him." So the problem with gossip is that someone is complaining, someone is gossiping, someone is talking ill of someone else, and there's no opportunity for, you know, first of all, they should be talking to the person that the issue is with and not going to gossip with other people, but then secondly, they're filling the minds of people with a biased word from someone who's not, you know, acting in an objective manner, and then what's happening is they're creating division. People are creating division when they do this. In Romans 16, there's an important word because listen, unity in the church is supposed to be treasured and valued, and when people start getting into gossip and slander and all that, it creates all kinds of problems. Listen to what it says. "Now I urge you," says Romans 16, 17, "Now I urge you, brother, and keep your eye on those who cause dissensions." And we need to be very careful about gossip, slander in the church, really what people need to do is they need to go and try to work it out with someone else, but it's not something to be talked about with other people. It's not something to be, you know, try to get people on your side, try to make somebody look bad. It's all worldly. That's all bad. And that's why Paul is saying here, "Listen, don't even come to me unless this fact can be confirmed by two or three witnesses." And it's interesting that it says two or three, and that's mentioned several times. And I think what I would argue that means as far as two or three is you need to have some objective people. So if you have two witnesses but they're not objective, then you need more, because you need somebody who's going to be objective to be a witness. If you have biased people being witnesses, that's not like having the objectivity that you need in order to really confirm a fact. So that's why I think it says two or three. It depends on the situation and who the witnesses are and if they're being, you know, if it's like the first who pleases his case seems right until another comes and examines him, "Can you trust the witnesses to be unbiased?" And that's why sometimes you need more than two. Moving on, I have previously said one present the second time, and though now absent, I say in advance to those who have sinned in the past and to all the rest as well, that if I come again, I will not spare anyone since you are seeking for the proof of Christ who speaks in me and who is not weak towards you, but mighty in you. And I think what the Apostle Paul is saying there is listen, I'm going to have to say what I'm going to have to say when we do get together and we're in person. I'm not going to dance around. I'm going to say what needs to be said. And you know, he's been told that sometimes he's harsh in letters and weak in person and he's saying, "Well, listen, when I come next time, I'm going to have to say what needs to be said, but I'm going to do it, you know, I'm going to do it there when I come." And, you know, sometimes there's a time and place for that, that you can't mince words and you got to speak the truth and do it with love. For indeed he was crucified because of weaknesses, yet he lives because of the power of God and he's talking about Jesus there and hallelujah, he lives again. He's been raised from the dead by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, yet we will live with him because of the power of God directed toward you. And sometimes, you know what, we are weak, we face difficulty, hardship, sometimes life is hard and then we are weak, but then that's when we need the power of God to be with us, to help strengthen us when life is difficult and praise God that he's there for us. First five, test yourselves to see if you are in the faith, examine yourselves. What a word and an important one. We should be challenging ourselves to are we acting honorably? Are we doing right by God? Are we seeing things objectively and be willing to examine ourselves in our own hearts? That's important to do because otherwise we can, we can really get off track because we're not doing self examination or do you not recognize this about yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you unless indeed you fail the test. And you know, sometimes if we're not testing ourselves, if we're not really evaluating our own motives in the way that we're thinking about things, we can not be found in God's will because we're not actually examining ourselves. But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test. Paul's back to, you know, really kind of defending himself and saying, listen, I know that I'm following God. I know that I'm doing right. And hope, you know, we know that that we don't fail the test. We know. And hopefully you do too. Now we pray to God that you do no wrong, not that we ourselves may appear proved, but that you may do what is right, even though we may appear unapproved. It's kind of a little bit of a confusing passage, but ultimately, regardless of what they think of him, they should do right. They should come on to the Lord and their own behavior. For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth and hallelujah, the truth will set you free. That's the most important thing is what is true, hallelujah. And may all of us be in truth, not only truth in God's word, but truth in life, just be in the truth. For we rejoice when we ourselves are weak, but you are strong. This we also pray for and that you may be made complete. And that's a word in the Bible. That's, you know, it's not a way that we talk a lot, but it's something that the Bible does share quite a bit that word being made complete. Sometimes it'll be translated differently, but basically coming into maturity, coming into fullness, coming into a sort of perfection. Now we realize that we're never perfect, but sometimes the word complete in the Bible can be translated perfect. And essentially, we should be becoming whole in Christ, becoming mature in Christ, becoming more like him, more complete in Christ. For this reason, I am writing these things while absent so that when present, I need not use severity. Now you might remember there was a severe letter that we don't have a copy of. That's what it's kind of known as is a severe letter. And at times, Paul came across pretty direct, but he's hoping that he needs not to do that, even though in accordance with the authority, which the Lord gave me for building up and not tearing down, he's like, you know what, the Lord's given me authority and I could come in severity, but I don't want to. And you know, ultimately, what I want to do is build up and not tear down. Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete. There it is again, be made, be made more like Christ, be made, be made more perfect, be comforted, be like minded, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. Great one another with a holy kiss, all the saints greet you. And I think the apostle Paul is saddened by the fact that there are people in the midst that are not like minded that are creating dissension that aren't living in peace. And he's wanting people to be reconciled and be restored, but you know, people got to be humble and people got to be in the truth in order for that to happen. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. What a great verse. I've shared that verse recently as we've been going through a series on the Holy Spirit. And those are all Paul for words, by the way, the grace of the Lord Jesus, I spoke on that last week. The grace of God is a power to live the Christian life. It's also the unmerited favor of God. It's so much the grace. And part of the grace of God is that he's given us his love and that he's given us the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. And he's given us the forgiveness of sins. All of that we've been given as a gift through grace, even our spiritual gifts are a grace of God. The grace of God is so rich and wonderful and marvelous. And we've been given that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all and may that grace and may that love and may that fellowship of the Holy Spirit help all of us to honor God, to honor one another and to be good Christian men and woman of God that are in harmony with the Lord and with one another. The Lord can do it. Hallelujah. And may that be the case in all of our lives. I'll say it again. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Hallelujah and amen. [BLANK_AUDIO]