Title Podium and Commission
We knew in our hearts that we were condemned to death, that we should not put our trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:8-9).
1. Text commentary
2. The Refining God
The apostle Paul had to receive the hand of God who was refining himself through suffering in Asia. He speaks of the suffering he suffered, "that is, with all humility and tears, and withstanding the temptations that came through the wiles of the Jews and serving the Lord" (Acts 20:19). His sufferings are summarized in three things:
The first was severe suffering. Paul says that the severe suffering he suffered was beyond the limits of what he could endure. He suffered excruciatingly severe suffering and received refinement. After being stoned by the Jews, he was cast out of the city like a dead man, beaten five times less than forty one, and met with a storm and suffered in darkness. The only reason he suffered so much was to convey the mission he received from Jesus, that Jesus is the Christ and that no one can be saved outside of him before the Gentiles and kings of this world. Such suffering awaits those who have been commissioned by God.
The third was the suffering of being sentenced to death in the heart. He goes one step further and confesses that there was a time when God put them in utter suffering to the extent that they thought it was God's will to let them die in this tribulation. Not only are there difficult and painful times for those who live according to sin, but also those who want to live according to the will of the Lord and become His pure bride also have these difficult times. When we live according to our mission, there are times when it seems that all the hardships beyond one's strength and the hope to live will disappear, and God will take his life from here.
3. Learning in Despair
Today, in Paul's face, we find only a very weak human being in great tribulation. Then, why did God allow the person who allowed you to experience the world of deep grace and to cast out demons and heal the sick with great power to become the weakest person and undergo refinement? After his tribulation, he realized why God had placed him in the midst of that fierce trial.
The first was to make them depend on the power of God instead of relying on themselves. We rely on ourselves all too easily. But the things we believe in and rely on are the things that the Lord shakes once and they all fly away. We do not depend on God when we are at peace, but only when trouble comes, realizing that we cannot live on our own, and rely on God. What God wants from us is that we, the “sheep,” depend on God as the “shepherd” to live. He wants us to live in the confession that we cannot live without God. Therefore, the deeper the believer's faith, the weaker he becomes in the sight of God. In order to learn this, God placed Paul and his companions in despair, even losing their hope to live.
The second was so that we could experience the power of God to bring us back to life. At the point where all human hopes end, God's work that transcends human thoughts begins. It is our dogma to think that only a smooth path should be given because we live in grace. Our corruption and greed try to use the mission the Lord has given us as an opportunity to satisfy our greed. God wants us to experience what it means to die with Christ in the pain of refinement. And so, those who died with Christ experience how God raises them up with Christ.
4. Application and Conclusion
God treats us according to His unchanging character. No matter what predicament we are in, God wants to refine us in the midst of it. Because he wants us to experience the power of Christ manifested in the realization of our weakness. 2004-07-04