Appearances can be Deceiving
Introduction:
Did anyone hear about the reality TV show called the Rebel Billionaire?
I’m not sure if it was shown in Australia.
I heard about it through a friend.
It was a show about this guy.
Sir Richard Branson.
The idea was that the billionaire Sir Richard Branson, got 16 contestants to do various tasks to see who would be most qualified to take over as president of his company.
It had a mixture of business related tasks and daredevil stunts – because Branson has a bit of thing for crazy stunts.
Anyway, the show starts with the contestants being taken by taxi in small groups to the start of the show.
And the taxi driver is this scruffy looking old guy.
Some of the contestants don’t treat him very well.
The cabbie asks them what they are doing and they tell him about the show.
So the cabbie asks them what they think about Branson.
Some of them say things that aren’t very nice about him.
But what the contestants don’t know is that the cabbie is actually Sir Richard Branson himself – in disguise.
You see, he was trying to find out what they really thought of him.
The contestants had been deceived by appearances.
They were actually talking to someone who should have been very important to them.
They were speaking to the person they were going to be trying to please.
Yet they were fooled by his appearance.
For two of the contestants – this mistake had serious consequences.
They got kicked off the show before it had even begun.
**Context**
Well, this is a little bit like what we are looking at in the Bible today.
The Corinthian church was being deceived by appearances.
And what was at stake for them was much more serious than being kicked out of a reality tv show.
What was at stake was their salvation.
It’s massively important.
And it’s a really important issue for us to understand today.
Just as the Christians in Corinth were prone to being deceived by appearances – so too are we.
Just as their culture conditioned them to look at the impressive and disregard the unimpressive – so too does our culture.
Today it is vital that we aren’t deceived by appearances.
Will you pray with me, as we ask God to help us?
Heavenly Father, we humbly ask that you will help us as we read your Word this morning. Help us to treat it for what it actually is, your living and powerful word to us. Please enable us to understand it and please change us. Help us to not be deceived when it comes to your gospel. In Jesus name, Amen.
So, we’re up to 2 Corinthians 10.
These last four chapters start a new section of the letter where Paul has to-once again- defend his ministry among the Corinthians against attacks by opponents who are setting themselves up against Paul
As alternatives to Paul and his teachings about Jesus.
Paul will go on in the next few chapters to call them super-apostles.
Probably a reference to how they were describing themselves.
Better apostles, more significant apostles.
And so let’s have a look at chapter 10.
1. Gospel weapons (verses 1-6)
- The appeal and the problem vv1-2, (vv10)
**The Problem**
Read verses 1 & 2
We get a hint of the problem there in verse one.
Paul seems to be quoting something that has been said about him.
And it sounds like he is a bit put out by this.
“timid when face to face but bold when away”
What’s a bit vague here is made clear in verse 10.
Have a look with me.
For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.”
Paul comes across as big and strong in his letters but in reality he is weak and unimpressive.
Bully by mail, whimp in person.
And then right at the end of verse 2 we get the guts of it.
They accuse Paul of living by the standards of the world.
Paul is not what they might expect from a spiritual person.
He doesn’t have the kind of qualities you would expect – he doesn’t have the confidence and personal presence.
For them, Paul has got some serious character flaws – he is inconsistent, he is fickle and downright unimpressive.
This is what Paul is up against.
For Paul this is very serious.
When his ministry among them is undermined, Paul sees this as not so much a threat to him but a threat to Jesus’ ministry among them.
**Appeal**
So he makes his appeal to them.
So, he begs them that when he does come to them in person –he won’t have to be bold.
He doesn’t want to have to be bold and confront the people who are against him.
He is hoping that this letter will convince them to open their hearts to him.
And he makes his appeal by the meekness and gentleness of Christ.
That’s how he sees himself and his ministry.
That’s how he wants the Corinthians to see him.
Paul comes in the spirit of Christ and displays the meekness and gentleness of Christ.
Paul’s response vv3-6
So how does Paul meet a challenge like this?
Verse 3 “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.”
Paul admits that he is worldly.
He makes no attempt to deny the fact that he walks according to the flesh.
He knows that he is unimpressive.
He knows he doesn’t walk around victorious over his circumstances, he knows that he is not the impressive public speaker that others are.
He is happy to admit this.
But he doesn’t want them to misunderstand this.
He says “I have gospel weapons”
I might not be impressive but I have some very impressive weapons.
Don’t be deceived.
Have a look at verse 4-6
Paul is happy to say that he appears worldly.
But he fights with weapons that are not of this world and he is ready to use them against these people who are undermining his authority and the Corinthians.
Paul fights with the very power of God.
And what does he directs his arsenal against?
Strongholds set up against God.
Which are false arguments, rebellious thoughts and pretensions set up against the knowledge of God.
It’s all those things in people’s lives that are used to keep God out.
And by God’s power Paul sets about destroying them.
And captivating human hearts for God.
Not with tanks, and guns and flamethrowers but with God’s weapons.
And what are these weapons that are rolled out?
If we look through 2 Corinthians (6:6-7) we will see that they are: speaking the truth, righteous living, preaching Christ, sharing in the suffering of Christ, persuading people that Jesus died so they can be reconciled to God, begging people with tears to be reconciled to him.
These are the sort rockets that are fired at people’s defenses against God.
Make no mistake, with the power of God these are powerful weapons.
This is the nature of Paul’s ministry.
This is what he is on about.
What appears weak to the Corinthians is the very power of God.
Application
So by way of application here.
These verses teach us about the nature of God’s mission.
And what we are doing when we are telling people about Jesus.
God uses us as his instruments to tear down opposition to him.
It is battle.
People spend all their lives putting up walls up to keep God out of their lives.
With excuses – arguments – reason – rationality and rebellious thoughts.
And the gospel is God’s power to destroy these fortresses and take them captive to Christ.
To make people obedient to Christ.
Are we convinced of God’s power to do this?
And are we happy, like Paul, to appear weak and foolish in the process?
And what about our own hearts?
Isn’t it quite possible even in the Christian life to build towers to keep God out?
Intellectualizing things so that we can keep the claims of Jesus remote.
Hiding behind arguments.
Explaining away sin in our lives…
Rather than letter the gospel smash down our defenses…
And take our stubborn, selfish thoughts that don’t please our Lord Jesus Christ and make them obedient to him.
Are we willing for God to besiege our heart?
And put up the white flag in surrender to Jesus’ Lordship in our life.
Don’t be deceived.
This is what God is on about.
This is the nature of the gospel.
2. Gospel vision (verses 7-11)
- Look! V7a
So we’ve seen the problem and Paul’s appeal now in verse 7 Paul diagnosis the problem.
He gets to the heart of the matter.
Have a look at the first part of verse 7
“You are looking only on the surface of things!”
Or in some versions – Look at what is obvious – implying that they haven’t been.
They have been deceived by what is superficial because they have fundamentally misunderstood Paul and the nature of how God works in his world.
And so Paul rattles off areas where they have been deceived.
o Belonging to Christ v7b
First – in the rest of verse 7 Paul says that he belongs to Christ just as much as anyone else.
It is likely that the super-apostles were saying something like …
If you want to see what belonging to Christ looks like, look at us.
“We really belong to Christ”
Paul says think again.
o Building up v8
The second thing they should look at is in verse 8.
He says that his authority over them was given by the Lord to build them up not to pull them down.
Don’t be deceived – my job is to help you and care for you.
o Be ready! vv9-11
And so he says in the next few verses from 9-11 he says …
What you think I am in my letters, I will be when I turn up.
Those who think that my speaking amounts to nothing …
Be ready.
Don’t be deceived.
Application
Let’s consider this principle for a moment.
Let’s consider Paul’s diagnosis of their problem of not seeing what is obvious … of looking on the surface of things.
Our world teaches us to be exactly like the Corinthians.
To get hung up on what is on the outside.
To look at things superficially.
To be impressed by style over substance
The obvious application for any church or any Christian is not to be seduce by what seems impressive.
If it seems impressive in the Christian life – be very careful.
We need to test things very carefully.
It is so easy to become convinced that the only way the world will listen to Jesus is if we appear impressive to them.
And so we are swayed by people and methods that look impressive.
We are swayed by impressive buildings or impressive programs or impressive people.
But for me, this principle is at work subtly in my heart.
What I do is make the things that I’m involved in sound impressive to people who might think what I’m doing is weak.
When someone asks me what I do, I say that I’m studying theology.
And to family and friends who think that is crazy I’ll talk about how hard the course is.
And how we study the original languages of the Bible and study philosophy and church history.
Which sounds much more impressive than saying that I’m studying to prepare me to tell people about Jesus.
Or when I was a Ministry Trainee, telling people that I work for a church with uni students rather than focusing on the fact that I tell them about Jesus.
This kind of thinking shows a heart that is more interested in the impressive than in talking about our Lord Jesus.
We need to constantly pull ourselves back from this and have a truly gospel vision.
The way to guard against it, is to remember the way of Lord Jesus
If we keep looking on the surface of things – we will never understand the true nature of our Lord Jesus.
He wasn’t held in high regard.
He was rejected.
He suffered.
There was nothing to attract people to him.
He appeared weak and pathetic.
So much so that the people he came to save hung him up on a cross like a criminal.
But in reality – if you have eyes to see it – this is the very power of God.
3. Gospel boasting (verses 12-18)
- Improper boasting vv12-16
Now in these final few verses Paul talks a lot about boasting.
Paul here has a go at the super-apostles boasting.
And their subtle art of comparison.
Have a look at verse 12.
“We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves they are not wise.”
These superapostles commend themselves and at the same time try to show that Paul is inferior.
Paul says – that he does not dare to compare himself with these guys.
It is improper boasting and Paul won’t be a part of it.
And then interestingly enough he goes on to boast – you can see it there in verse 14 and 15.
Why does he do this?
- Proper boasting vv17-18
Verse 13 is the key.
“We however will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us.”
This is proper boasting.
The whole point is the confining of that boasting to various areas of influence that God has given to him.
You see there never was a contest that Paul won to get a relationship with the Cors and have authority over them.
He didn’t have to win their hearts and loyalty.
God gave him this responsibility – this task.
It was a gift to him.
There was no battle to get to the top of the peaking order.
Paul was on his way to bash up Christians and Jesus turned up and said, I want you to be the apostle to the Gentiles.
Paul works in a different universe.
A universe governed by grace – not one-upmanship and comparison.
We must remember that Paul doesn’t resent others working with him.
He is not being precious about his turf here.
He is very happy for Apollos to come along and water after he has planted.
The point – is that Paul is not boasting in himself.
But only what the Lord has given him.
He doesn’t think that what he is doing makes him important.
His significance is not found in what he does but what Christ achieves.
It is Christ who deserves the glory not him.
Have a look at verse 17.
“But let him who boasts boast in the Lord For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.”
Paul is one whom the Lord commends.
He doesn’t commend himself as these other guys are doing.
Paul works in a universe of grace and boasts in the Lord and what the Lord does through him.
Application
But how do we apply this passage?
Is it just don’t compare yourself with an apostle.
Perhaps, but I don’t think there are many of here who would really try to set ourselves up against Paul and compare ourselves to him.
But perhaps we will listen to others who might say that Paul is nothing.
There are people around who would have us do away with Paul’s teachings (that are really God’s teaching).
They might say that Paul is anti-women, that he is anti-homosexuals, that he has distorted the true message of Jesus.
They might say Jesus didn’t condemn anyone.
He hung out with everyone is society and accepted them all.
Get rid of Paul’s stuff – it is a distortion.
These people are really just showing their ignorance.
And so we mustn’t be deceived.
Paul is our apostle.
We who are non-Jews are the result of Paul’s mission to reach the nations with the gospel.
We mustn’t despise and disregard him as some within Christian circles would have us do.
But there is also a wider application here.
And it has to do with boasting.
Where do we get our personal worth from.
Can’t we play the game of comparison – like the superapostles are doing here?
Comparing ourselves to others.
And finding our worth in life and determining how valuable we are by comparing ourselves to others.
Is that the way you operate at work?
Or at uni?
Or with other mums?
Or even here at church?
Paul’s teaching here is a great rebuke the whole art of comparison and subtle boasting.
He ministry among the Corinithians and in fact everything he had as a gift from God.
We must remember that we live in a different kind of world thanks to Jesus.
All we have is from God.
And when it comes to each other – we must remember that we are actually God’s gifts to each other.
There’s no need to compare ourselves with each other.
And be jealous that we can’t play the piano like someone.
Or serve like this person.
Or teach like that person.
The principal is …
Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.
For everything comes from him.
Conclusion: The gospel and appearances
To conclude I would like to read a passage from something else Paul wrote to the Corinthians in the first chapter not of this letter but his first letter to them.
It brings together the things we have been looking at today.
And reminds us that it is lesson that is hard to learn – for if it was easy we wouldn’t need to hear it again in our chapter today.
1 Corinthians 1:27-31 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-- and the things that are not-- to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-- that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."
Don’t be like the Corinthians.
Don’t be like the people on the Rebel Billionaire.
Don’t be deceived by appearances.
The weak looking Jesus.
And his weak looking servants.
This is the way our God works in his world.
Let’s pray together.
Heavenly Father, you have shown today, from your word that the gospel is powerful. Yet it is clothed in weakness.
And despite this weakness, the truth of the gospel has the power to break down fortresses in peoples hearts that are setup against you.
And we pray that you will continue to bring people to the point of surrender in their lives – where they bend the knee to Jesus as their walls of hostility to you come tumbling down.
And we ask that you will do that in our lives too – that your mighty weapons will break down walls we have created in our lives to restrict your access to certain areas of our lives.
And Father help us not to be deceived by what seems impressive and get caught up in the subtle art of comparison and finding our worth in comparing ourselves to others.
Help us to boast only in you – remember all that you have done for us through your son, our Lord Jesus Christ and the way you have been so gracious to us.
Help us not to despise the things that appear weak in this world and your servants like Paul.
But to remember that even though your glory and wisdom and power are veiled – that they truly are your power for salvation and life.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.