The Great Necessity For Me To Avoid The Problem Of Subtle Insincerities
2 Corinthians 2:15-18
(Children’s Sheet for Sermon Interaction is at bottom. Notes for young children to answer are throughout sermon)Pastor Kerry Kinchen, Bridgeway Bible Church
Please turn to 2 Corinthians 1:12. I am mainly focusing on 2 Corinthians 1:15-18. But, I will be reading from 1:12 on into chapter 2 to get a fuller context. So turn to 2 Corinthians 1:12, and I’ll start reading from there. Starting in 1:12, Paul says,
“12 For our proud confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you. ... 15 ... I intended at first to come to you, so that you might have a second experience of grace. 16 that is, to pass your way into Macedonia, and again from Macedonia to come to you, and by you to be helped on my journey to Judea. 17 Therefore, I was not vacillating when I intended to do this, was I? Or what I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, so that with me there will be yes, yes and no, no at the same time? God is faithful, our word to you is not yes and no. 19 For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us--by me and Silvanus and Timothy--was not yes and no, but is yes in Him. 20 For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us. 21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, 22 who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge. 23 But I call God as witness to my soul, that to spare you I did not come again to Corinth. 24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but are workers with you for your joy; for in your faith you are standing firm. 2:1 But I determined this for my own sake, that I would not come to you in sorrow again. 2 For if I cause you sorrow, who then makes me glad but the one whom I made sorrowful?” 2 Corinthians 1:12-2:2
Please prepare your heart to learn from this sermon. The theme is worded in such a way as to be directed toward each of our own selves. The theme is
The Great Necessity For Me To Avoid The Problem Of Subtle Insincerities
[Prayer]
Reflecting upon the section of the passage that I just read, I want to quickly point out that the whole section we are studying comes out of the framework of what Paul wrote in verse 15,
“I intended at first to come to you, so that you might have a second experience of grace.” 2 Corinthians 2:15
Essentially Paul had a plan. His plan was to go to the Corinthians on his way to Macedonia. Stopping by to see the Corinthians was something that he thoroughly intended to do in complete sincerity. But Paul’s plan needed to be altered a bit, so he bypassed Corinth on his journey--but only momentarily. This maneuver was simply a strategy for Paul. Paul was always trying to see things through the lens of God’s sovereign direction--even through daily circumstances. To adjust his strategies through re-planning was simply another way of trusting in God’s sovereignty. We can all learn a vital lesson from Paul in how to walk in God’s providence in this way. It is actually a manifestation of wisdom to make adjustments to your plans while trusting God at the same time. But apparently, bypassing Corinth in his journey turned out to be something that certain Corinthians became upset about. Unfortunately the problem does not seem to be one in which they were ignorant of how God works in his sovereignty and providence. The problem was on the personal level. Evidently, they judged Paul. They surmised that he was not sincere in answering “yes” to them when they asked him whether to expect him to stop by on his way to Macedonia. “Yes” and “no” are answers, so an allusion to giving assurance to some in Corinth in answering whether he would come to them first on his journey, contextually identifies what “yes yes” and “no no” means. Paul was being sincere in the legacy of the teaching of Jesus. Jesus said to avoid oaths and simply be truthful by saying yes yes and no no, Matthew 5:36. This is what Paul did. It was simple; Paul really did intend to go to Corinth according to his original plan. But there is more. He not only intended to go there, he really wanted to go through Corinth first as a strong personal desire. In fact, he wanted to go there so that the Corinthians would have a second experience of grace. This was his intention; and so his yes-yes had even more godly ambition behind it. As we are looking into this situation, we should wonder,
“What does Paul mean by a second experience of grace for the Corinthians?”
I think it is important to look at Paul’s wording in verses 12 and 24 to understand what the flow of the context suggests that he means. Let’s quickly look at verse 12. As I read, notice Paul’s reference to the “grace of God,”
“12 For our proud confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God,
[There it is--”the grace of God.” And so Paul says, “in the grace of God”]
we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you.” 2 Corinthians 1:12
Paul assures the Corinthians of his confidence as an ambassador of Christ in the grace of God. In the grace of God, the apostles have conducted themselves toward the Corinthians in holiness and godly sincerity. It is a stark contrast to fleshly wisdom, goals, and manifestations. It is conduct that is “in the grace of God.” Keep this grace of God in mind, because without recognizing what Paul says here in his flow of thought, we can miss what he means next in verse 15, when he makes that statement,
“15 ... I intended at first to come to you, so that you might have a second experience of grace. 16 that is, to pass your way into Macedonia, and again from Macedonia to come to you, and by you to be helped on my journey to Judea.” 2 Corinthians 1:15-16
The second experience of grace that the Corinthians would experience in verse 15, is primarily what Paul knows that God has called and gifted him to be to them according to verse 12. Paul knows this with confidence. His calling and actions as an anointed and appointed apostle, are to minister the grace of God in Christ while acting in the grace of God in Christ. So in spite of the difficulties, factions, sin, and immaturity in Corinth, Paul asserts the God-ordained sense that the apostle’s ministry really is for the Corinthians. It is a wonderful grace experience for them from God. By the way, I hope that this is what I am for you too. We should all hope that people experience us as the grace of God in their midsts. So, Paul knows what the Corinthians need to know. It is truly the grace of God for the Corinthians to experience Paul and His ministry in holiness and godly sincerity. Whether it is in bringing soft words of joyous encouragement, or bringing harsh words of godly rebuke, all of it is in the love of Christ with edification as Paul’s goal. It is God’s grace that they experience him (the anointed apostle) as a man whose conduct is not according to clever, fleshly wisdom. By the grace of God, Paul’s conduct is in the grace of God. That is what the Corinthians need to appreciate concerning their experience whenever Paul is among them. But they are only going to view things rightly when they quit thinking like fleshly men. Paul is not the one answering in a fleshly way of vacillation. This is why he said,
“... what I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh.” 2 Corinthians 1:17
Rather, the Corinthians are the ones thinking in a fleshly way. Remember Paul noticed this about them in 1 Corinthians 3:1-4. when he said,
"1 And I, brothers,
[He calls them brothers because they are Christians who believed according to 1 Corinthians 3:5. So he said I ]
could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh,
[Paul had to speak to his regenerated, Christian brothers, like speaking to unsaved people who lack understanding in not accepting the things of the Spirit of God. Why? Because that is the way they were acting. Paul goes on and magnifies it by saying that he had to speak to them]
as to infants in Christ.
[meaning they are still using fleshly thinking--fleshly wisdom in their immaturity in Christ. They were being spiritually confusing. It is a fleshliness that reflects more of the way lost people think and act than the way Christ thinks and acts. In 1 Corinthians 3:3, Paul says they are acting like “mere men.” For a Christian to act like a mere man, is to act like a spiritually lost man. Again, this is action that is spiritually confusing. So this is how Paul had to approach the Corinthians in their tutelage. Paul goes on. Verse 2
2 I gave you milk to drink,
[milk is the basics that any saved person should easily grasp.]
not solid food; because you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, 3 because you are still fleshly.
[There it is again. Paul sees the problem. The term is strong. They are still “fleshly.” They were acting in such immaturity that they mimicked the unsaved. They were thinking in a more worldly way than a heavenly way. Paul continued,]
For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?
[Paul knows what we all need to know. Christians are more than mere fleshly men. We are spiritual men 3:3--Regenerated--Born again. We are spiritual miracles recreated in Christ Jesus. We are temples of the Holy Spirit. Mere men are solely men of flesh who are lost--spiritually dead. They are only created in Adam. For a Christian to be fleshly, is to be manifesting more of the ways of the world void of the spirit that we were saved from than of the indwelling Spirit who saves us. Then Paul gets to the core-issue. We find its residue still tainting the church by the time Paul writes 2 Corinthians. Notice]
“4 For when one says, ‘I am of Paul,’ and another, ‘I am of Apollos,’ are you not mere men?” 1 Corinthians 3:1-4
So think about this. For Paul to conduct himself in the grace of God as God’s spiritual apostle toward the Corinthians, is for the fleshly Corinthians to experience the grace of God. So a second experience of grace that the Corinthians would experience when he arrives, is what Paul knows that God has called and gifted him to be to them. Paul’s desire to share this second experience of grace shows that his answer of yes-yes was of the Spirit and not no-no of fleshliness.
With all of this in mind, the Corinthians would have experienced more grace in encountering Paul in another way too. I don’t think it is the strongest contextual reason that Paul means, but one can find an allusion to it in the context, and so it is worthy of mention. Essentially, what I am talking about is the grace of God for the Corinthians to have the privilege and honor to be used by God to send the apostle Paul on his way with their grace gift of money to him. It would be a grace experience for them to help Paul and others financially. So this appears to be something that can be seen as the second experience of grace for the Corinthians, where Paul says toward the end of his statement,
“... and by you to be helped on my journey to Judea.” 2 Corinthians 1:15-16
To see how this can be a grace action of the Corinthians to experience, we can look ahead to 2 Corinthians 8:2-6. Notice that Paul says there,
“2 Now, brothers, we wish to make known to you the grace of God
[Notice the reference to the grace of God here]
which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, 2 that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality [in giving money]. 3 For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, 4 begging us [Paul’s apostolic team] with much urging for the grace
[There is the grace again. And notice what the grace is as I read on through the rest of verse 4,]
of participation in the [financial] support of the set apart ones, 5 and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the determination of God. 6 So we urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning,
[And Paul is going to refer to it as an act of grace when he goes on to say]
so he would also complete in you this act of grace as well.” 2 Corinthians 8:2-6
So we know that Paul’s visit to them would be a second experience of grace for the Corinthians; and by the same token there is evidence that it would also have been a mutual experience for Paul and the other churches to experience the Corinthians act of grace as they mete out God’s grace as tools in God’s hands according to their giving. This second aspect is a plausible area that Paul is referring to, but the first one I presented seems more likely as it follows the antecedent reference of the flow of Paul’s thought and points. Either way, the core of all these considerations is important for understanding Paul’s plans to visit the Corinthians. He really wanted to do so, and He was truly being led by the Spirit. But, as the context reveals, Paul did not make it to Corinth in the timeframe in which he planned. So this brings us to explore some principles in this Christian relationship dynamic that have to do with the great necessity for you, me, and all Christians, to avoid the problem of subtle insincerities.
/1/
The first principle is that people can naturally employ subtle insincerities. It is a fact that we should not deny. And yes, Christians are not immune to this malady. Christians can be just as insincere with their brothers and sisters as the lost are insincere with people. This means that you can be insincere--that is, if you act fleshly. When such a thing occurs, the insincerities, no matter how subtle, are not according to God by the Spirit. They are deceptions according to the flesh. This is the principle, and it is foundational. Notice that Paul says,
“15 ... I intended at first to come to you, ... 17 Therefore, I was not vacillating when I intended to do this, was I? Or what I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, so that with me there will be yes, yes and no, no at the same time?” 2 Corinthians 1:15, 17
@1 Christians can be insincere and the insincerity is a fruit of the _______________—not the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 2:17 (flesh)
When Paul asked the Corinthians whether he was vacillating when he previously told them that he wanted to come to them, he was recognizing that they thought that he was the one being fleshly. They wrongly judged Paul as answering them in such a way as to not be sincere about what he said he was going to do. Let’s think about this skepticism. Think about how they suspected him of a kind of deceit that is common according to the lost world culture. We are going to talk about the problems with the fleshly Corinthians themselves in making this accusation in a moment. But right now, I want us to think about how the Corinthians were used to this kind of fleshly way of thinking from lost people already. The problem is that the Corinthians projected what they were used to, upon Paul. Now let’s think about the form of the fleshliness that they accused Paul of. What is its shape? They were accusing Paul of using a kind of human reasoning process that seeks to be clever. It is a communication tactic that employs a subtle pretense. And it truly is a form of fleshly cleverness for someone to say “yes” as they indicate a matter of surety concerning what they said they are going to do as if this is what they want you to think, even though they are not really solid, not wholly resolute and not truly committed about it. Please follow what I am saying very closely. It is not that there is a simple misunderstanding of intention. Misunderstanding someone’s intentions is to make a mistake about what they meant. It is not a mistake in communication styles either. Misconstruing someone’s communication style is, again, a mistake. So pay attention to what I am saying. In this kind of intentional assertion, the goal of the plan is known to be something in particular to everyone involved. Later, when the results turn out to be something completely different, it looks like the person who agreed to the details, was really thinking that “no” might be something that they were entertaining all along. The cliche’ becomes a reality in which actions speak louder than words. What happens is that their true inner preference was not made known by their original word-answer. But later, it becomes exposed by actions. Again, I am not talking about a mistake. I am not talking about a change of plans that is something that is necessary as a part of contingent strategy. I am talking about intentional deceit even if it seems subtle, and even if we want to try and tweak the reality of the vacillation by trying to forge an alibi to make it be excused as if it was necessary. So you see, I am talking about intentional, cavalier intentions in which the intention is presented as sincere but is not. Because it is purposeful, it is not a way of a thinking according to the Spirit. It is not a way of thinking according to manifesting the indwelling Christ from our hearts. It is the wisdom of humanistic fleshliness. It is deceitful which means it is what? It is sin. Now we are recognizing how serious this is. This is one reason why I say that this first principle is so foundational. This is not something that can be claimed to be an error issue. This is not something that can be claimed to be an innocent cultural method of communication issue in which you think you are really not giving a solid answer with your solid sounding answer. It is not an accident issue either. It is a sin issue.
There is another reason why I say that this is so foundational. It is because of the consistent trend in the lost world culture and a trend in the expansive church of our day, to employ subtle insincerity. It is an epidemic for people to take their words lightly when they say they are going to do something, and yet are not intent on keeping their word; but on the other hand they act content with not keeping their word as if it is no big deal. Think for a moment about how people will typically do this kind of thing. It is like Paul was accused of, but there is a difference. I am talking about Christians who are actually insincere with their brothers and sisters. With me personally, I can think of an example that I have found which haunts other pastors too. I have had people tell me over and over again that they will come visit our church. I don’t always know why they tell me this. I don’t always ask people to come visit our church; but sometimes I do. But in my experiences I am sharing now, typically in the conversations, I will describe our church, and the person I am talking to will tell me that they are going to come over and visit us in fellowship. I can distinctly remember numerous occasions in which I have been across from folks as they ask where our weekly formal meeting is located, what time we begin getting together, the worship time, and so forth. They are showing an interest that is representative of sincerity. I can easily recollect numerous people who have said, “I’ll see you ...” (and then they give the day that they are going to show up.) They may say it is the next Sunday, or in a couple of weeks, but they give a timeframe.
Then what happens?
They never show up--ever.
I also get e-mails and phone calls from people who will make enquiries concerning our church. Often they will clearly tell me that they are going to come to visit with us. Often they will give me the exact date to expect them. Interestingly, the same thing happens. And just as oddly, I never get contacted by any of these people to explain what has happened. But sometimes people who make insincere promises, will make a fuzzy kind of clarification. It goes something like this,
“We will come and visit soon,”
or
“We’ll come visit the fellowship sometime.”
“Soon” is kind of a fuzzy, nebulous, term. So is “sometime.” But soon is not a ticket to not show up. Soon is a statement of timing. Soon is different from never. Sometime is not the same as no-time. The point is that “soon” and “sometime” means you are saying you are going to do it. Amazingly, in all the particular cases that I am describing, year, after year, after year goes by, and I never see those people in any of our church gatherings--ever. When I say that this phenomenon is amazing, I mean that it is amazing to me. Maybe it is not amazing to the people employing it. Maybe it is not amazing to you. But it should be amazing, especially in light of what the Spirit of truth convicts us with from His word of truth concerning words of truth. What is really odd, and yet typical of the necessity for the recognition of the importance of this principle, is that sometimes I will encounter those people again. Usually they never mention breaking their promise to me. Sometimes they act as if they have no recollection of their commitment. Much of the time, it is as if they are hoping I do not remember their promise, or that I simply should approve of the broken promise as if it never really happened, or that I should not consider it to be a broken promise, or that it is somehow okay for them to operate in life this way. Certainly, when we biblically analyze this as a phenomenon, it does seem odd; but then something else happens that leaves me even more stunned. Many of those same Christians, will once again, say that they will come on over and visit with us in our fellowship. The consistency is actually bizarre; they were nowhere to be seen. They do not call me to let me know what has happened. They do not text message me. They do not send me an e-mail. They just act like what they said does not really matter after all. Now these are my own personal illustrations from one tiny little narrowed down category that I have seen. But other pastors experience this too. Business people experience this with not just the world but also with Christians. People from all walks of life, experience this with not just the world but also with Christians. Maybe this has happened with you too. People have made promises to you with a yes-yes, and the result was really no-no. Maybe you are the one who does this to others. Here is the point-- it can be telling someone you will meet with them, it could be telling someone you will do something for them, but whatever it is, you have actually made a true commitment even if you think you have not made a true commitment. It is a real promise even if you think you have not made a real promise. Further, (and this is very important) God, and the other person (or people) know you have made a commitment, even if you don’t think so. Others are experiencing your claimed commitment to do what you say. Why would they think such a thing? Because you are the one who said that you would do what you said you committed to do. And so it does matter. It especially matters to God if it was an intentional insincerity which is what we are talking about. I have also seen this same thing happen with church members that I counsel. It may be a problem that the parents of a son or daughter in the family want me to minister to. After determining whether the son or daughter is even saved, I will counsel them biblically concerning a proper route that they should take. Sometimes that means sharing the gospel with them. But if I can determine that they are already spiritually saved, I will usually share something biblical, and easy, for them to do. Usually it has to do with a particular decision in which they are disobeying and dishonoring the parent’s God-ordained position. I guide them in the way that God says to go from His word. Then comes the yes-yes. They will tell me that they are going to listen to God’s word. They will say that will do what they are responsible to do before God. But after our meeting, the true origin of their answer is exposed. The origin is the flesh, and so what do they do? They go on and do the exact opposite--I mean the e-x-a-c-t opposite. The flesh reaps corruption, so of course they always reap the consequences later on down the road of life, but the biggest consequence is that they turned their back on spiritual wisdom to pursue their own fleshly wisdom. The main point is that they were insincere. I have seen the same thing happen with husbands and wives. Some of them have children. Some of them don’t. But it is all the same kind of thing; and it is epidemic. I will preach certain truths from the pulpit. I will counsel in private meetings, on the phone, or in some rare cases, by e-mail or other text method (which I do not prefer, or recommend as a typical method by the way. But the point is that I give the biblical counsel). Then the spouses will give me lip service in a subtle insincerity that conveys the idea that they agree. They act like they want to live by the principle. It’s the yes-yes. Later, I find out that they act like they believe the biblical principal applies to others, but it does not apply to their own situation. This happens a lot by the way. So they go on and live the opposite way. Sometimes it is one spouse who gives me lip-service, but he or she is really being insincere. I will counsel spouses about what to do in their marriages. Over and over again, I will tell wives what their responsibility to God is in how they are to personally act, and react, toward their husband. I will do the same to the husband. In marriage counseling, I always use Ephesians 5 as the cornerstone. They will acknowledge God’s word as I direct them toward the pertinent principles for them to embrace and employ. Amazingly, I find out that they went ahead and did something that they were planning on doing all along which was in direct opposition to what I counseled from God’s word. It’s the flesh, and the flesh has its own version of yes-yes. I see this disease’s symptoms all over the body of Christ. It is cancerous. It is epidemic. It is not according to God by the Spirit. It is deception, rebellion, and sin according to the flesh. Listen to me carefully; Every one of us must be careful to seek God concerning our hearts and our words. We must avoid any temptation to take the route of employing subtle insincerities. This is the first principle, and it is foundational. This leads to the second principle concerning the great necessity for all of us to avoid the problem of subtle insincerities.
/2/
The second principle is that people who answer according to the flesh with subtle insincerities, are negated in the minds of those whom they have deceived. Trust is tainted, or is gone. Respect is tainted, or is gone. Purity in fellowship is tainted, marred, and stained.
@2 (circle one)
People who answer with subtle insincerities, taint
the Bible,
eternal security
trust
along with respect and purity in fellowship. (trust)
This principle is a sad fact, but it is the sad result of subtle insincerity. It is somewhat reminiscent of the story of the boy who cried wolf. It is a simple story. The story itself is almost like a cliche’. But how many of us know that cliche’s are cliche’s because they are usually truths that convey a point in a recognizable way? This is what the story of the boy who cried wolf is.
The boy who cried wolf was a shepherd boy who watched a flock of sheep outside of a town. He was bored, so in insincerity he yelled, “Help, help, wolves are killing the sheep!” The town’s people believed the boy, so they ran out to drive the wolves away. But when they got there, there were no wolves. The boy was amused by what he considered to be a joke. But the town’s people were not amused. Consequently, they lost respect for the boy. Time went by. Then one evening some actual wolves came into the flock and began killing sheep. The boy was panicked. He could not drive the wolves away. He cried out, “Help, help, wolves are killing the sheep!” But now trust was gone. Respect was gone. Purity in relationships was tainted. The boy’s character had been discredited by his own words and actions. So the town’s people ignored him. The next day, the town’s people discovered that a pack of wolves actually had come and had killed all the sheep--every single one of them. The boy was weeping. He asked the people, “Why didn't you come when I cried wolf?” They answered with a strong principle for us to consider,
“Nobody believes a liar, even when he is telling the truth.”
It is such a simple little story, but the punchline point is hugely profound and timeless. Nobody believes a liar. So whenever a liar tells the truth, the problem is that the person is still distrusted. Respect for him or her is gone. Purity in fellowship is tainted. How is the purity in fellowship tainted? It is tainted by the marring stigma of being known as someone who employs blatant, or even subtle insincerities. It is to wear the dirty clothes of suspicion as someone who doesn’t keep their word. It is to be spiritually confusing. Once this happens, other Christians will treat you differently. They will talk to you differently. They will not trust you in basic areas of fellowship. This leads to a final principle.
/3/
The final principle is that there is another fleshly manifestation to deal with concerning the great necessity for me to avoid the problem of subtle insincerities. It is the other side of the road. It is the side where Paul deals with the Corinthians. It has to do with being the one who wrongly judges others by thinking that they are being fleshly and insincere, when in actuality, they were being truthful all along; in which case the accuser is the fleshly one.
@3 God does not want me to wrongly _______________ others as being insincere when they are really being truthful. (judge)
Notice Paul’s wording again. Notice how he is defending his word, his intention, his desire, and his sincerity,
“17 ... what I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, so that with me there will be yes, yes and no, no at the same time? 18 But as God is faithful, our word to you is not yes and no. 19 For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us--by me and Silvanus and Timothy--was not yes and no, but is [it is always, ESV] yes in Him. 20 For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us. 21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, 22 who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge [guarantee]. 23 But I call God as witness to my soul, that to spare you I did not come again to Corinth.” 2 Corinthians 2:17-22
@4 As many as are the _______________ of God for us in Christ, they are assuredly guaranteed as yes. (Promises)
It is amazing for us today to read this and think that there were people among the Corinthian church who actually thought that Paul lied to them. After Paul had been miraculously created into an apostle while on the road to Damascus, and after he had been persecuted by the lost, and after he had planted so many faithful churches, this fact must have been even more amazing to Paul. The take home point is that it is just as amazingly sinful, hurtful, and disrespectful to wrongly accuse someone of fleshly insincerity, as it is for someone to be fleshly insincere. Both are transgressions of the law of Christ. Both diminish the love of Christ toward our brothers and sisters. Both stifle the manifestation of Christ outwardly from our hearts. And in this case, those who wrongly accuse someone else of subtle insincerity, are the ones who taint the fellowship. Those who wrongly accuse someone else of subtle insincerity, are the ones who grieve the Holy Spirit. Instead of being hurt by insincerity. The accuser is the real hurter. I can hardly begin to tell you how many disputes I have either been a part of, or I have tried to mediate between others, in which someone was wrongly accused of not being sincere. Sometimes the victim never knows that they have come under suspicion, or accusation by others. But other people know, and this makes up the bulk of the problem. It comes in the form of gossip, rumors, slander. It comes in the form of planting seeds of accusation. But once the seed of doubt has been planted, then the damage has been done. And because they never know that others are thinking this about them, the damage in relationships goes on without repair. This is how bad this sin can be. The way those situations could have been avoided in the first place would be to apply love from the beginning and keep that love all the way through the suspicion. What I mean is that 1 Corinthians 13 explains that love hopes all things and believes all things good concerning a brother or sister. This does not mean that the hope of love is naive. But love-hope goes the extra mile to check out all the facts concerning what seems to be a wrong suffered. Just because we think we are suffering wrong, doesn’t mean that what we think is a true assessment of everything. This was the problem with the Corinthian’s assumptions. Consider gossip. Gossip is like fuel. And so what does it do with these kinds of suspicions? It feeds the fire. Listening to gossip is already bad enough, but sometimes it gets heard. Love looks at gossip after it has been heard, and considers it as talk that should be scrutinized more strongly than most any other information. But since gossip is like a fuel, it seeks to overcome love. It seeks to overwhelm discerning stability which seeks to get the real facts from every angle. But we should always be seeking the love way which is the wisdom way. If you are the one who thinks you have been lied to, then you should seek to find out all the facts to discern if your suspicion holds weight, or if it is merely something that you think is right based on a little bit of information. Is it specious? Find out, but resist making judgements based upon your so-called powers of discernment. Think again about the boy who cried wolf; but look at it another way;
Once upon a time there was a shepherd whose flock was attacked by a pack of wolves. Someone in the nearby town accused the shepherd of lying about that time when his herd was attacked. The shepherd had been through a tragedy. The shepherd had told the truth. But now because of accusation, the shepherd’s reputation had become maligned. The accuser went on with life like nothing happened--but something bad had happened. First was the wrong accusation. It was bad. But then others became suspicious of the shepherd. The result is that they did not trust his words any more. This is bad, and it is the substance of another principle. It is an unfortunate principle, but it is true;
“Few people will believe a truth teller once he has been labeled a liar.”
This is the kind of thing that happened with Paul. He was a true shepherd who had doubt cast upon his word simply because of the specious judgements of others. They felt like they had been wronged. They had all their arguments together, and so they thought they had a case. They thought they could justify maligning their precious brother in Christ. Now his name was being tainted among the Corinthians by mere accusation. Anyone who has done anything like this, must repent of such distorted judgements in a true sense of humble shame at their own actions, and their own high opinion of their so-called “discernment abilities.” And if you have done any of this lately (And the Spirit will let you know if you have) then acknowledge it in contrite sorrow before God. Go to that brother or sister and apologize. Seek their forgiveness. Do it now. Don’t delay. Seek the love way.
Let’s recap all the points from the sermon; What I have been preaching on is the great necessity to avoid the problem of subtle insincerities. One thing I touched upon is the fact that Christians can be insincere with their brothers and sisters. All this accomplishes is spiritually confusing behavior. And we remember what this is. It is a manifestation of fleshliness. It is not an operation that is according to the Spirit. This principle is foundational. And so in recognizing it, and being aware of its origin, we also considered some consequences. People who answer according to the flesh with subtle insincerities, are negated in the minds of those whom they have deceived. Trust falls by the wayside. Respect is marred. Purity in fellowship is tainted. Being spiritually confusing leaves a sour taste on the palate of people’s souls. Finally, we looked at another fleshly manifestation to deal with concerning the great necessity for all of us to avoid the problem of subtle insincerities. It has to do with coming at this from the other direction. It has to do with being the one who wrongly judges others by thinking that they are being fleshly and insincere, when in actuality, they were being truthful all along. When this is done, then the accuser is the one who is nurturing spiritual confusion. The accuser is not operating in the Spirit in such behavior. Instead, he or she is operating in the flesh as the fleshly one. Don’t be the accuser. And so the summation is that we must be careful to walk according to the Spirit of sincerity. The best way to do this is to nurture manifesting Christ Jesus outwardly from our hearts toward others. And the practical way to do this is by manifesting the pure love of Christ toward them. Let’s do it in real actions that come from a pure heart. Amen
@1 Christians can be insincere and the insincerity is a fruit of the _______________—not the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 2:17 (flesh)
@2 (circle one)
People who answer with subtle insincerities, taint
the Bible,
eternal security
trust
along with respect and purity in fellowship. (trust)
@3 God does not want me to wrongly _______________ others as being insincere when they are really being truthful. (judge)
@4 As many as are the _______________ of God for us in Christ, they are assuredly guaranteed as yes. (Promises)
