Sep 24, 2017
by: Jack Lash Series: 2Corinthians: Paul's Most Underappreciated Epistle | Category: NT books | Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:1
- Introduction
A. Explanation of change of series
B. 2Corinthians: Paul’s most underappreciated epistle
C. Believe it or not, this is the first time I’ve preached through one of Paul’s epistles.
D. This series could last two years, which means it could be my last series. But whether it is or isn’t, I would like to give you this series as a gift, hopefully from my heart to yours.
E. Next week I will introduce the epistle, but today I will introduce the author.
1. He has been called the greatest Christian who ever lived and he has been called the most influential man in history (besides Jesus).
2. He is the paradigm we are called to imitate.
F. 2Corinthians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God...
G. Arguably, we know more about Paul than any other Bible person.
H. Probably the year after Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection and ascension...
1. Flashback from Acts 9:1-3a Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus...
II. Childhood
A. When? He was probably born 2-5 years after Jesus.
1. Called a young man in Acts 7:58, which was probably around 31AD.
2. Given an important assignment to capture Christians from Damascus and bring them back to Jerusalem. He was probably around 30.
3. In Philemon 9 he calls himself an old man (around 60AD).
B. Jewish – Acts 22:3
C. Born in Tarsus (south-central Turkey)– Acts 22:3
D. Tarsus was the capital city of the province of Cilicia, and area famous for its goats-hair cloth named cilice, after Cilicia, used for making tents.
1. Paul was a maker of tents
E. Tarsus was more than his birthplace.
1. Acts 9:11 The Lord said to Ananias, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and look for a man of Tarsus named Saul.”
2. Acts 9:30 “When the brothers learned this, they ...sent him off to Tarsus.”
3. Acts 11:25 “Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul.”
4. He lived long enough in Tarsus to be able to say that there he was known for living scrupulously according to the law (Acts 26:4).
F. So, Paul grew up in a Gentile context.
1. His local synagogue was very likely Greek-speaking and the OT they read from was the LXX (the Septuagint, the Greek version of the OT).
G. Parents
1. Paul was a Roman citizen — so, he was probably from a prominent family.
2. Pharisees – Acts 23:6
a. Pharisee comes from the word for separation.
b. It was a movement of purity and separation from anything evil or unclean or Gentile.
c. It focused more on the ceremonial law than on the moral law, the outward actions rather than the inward attitude.
H. You can learn a lot about Paul just by examining the Greek of his epistles.
1. There is a consensus that Paul knew Greek as a native speaker, so it seems he grew up bilingual.
2. And yet he didn’t write classical Greek, which is the language he would have been trained in if he had received an education at a Greek school. He spoke and wrote what’s called Koine Greek, or common Greek.
3. He knew he lacked the eloquence of someone who’d been trained in Greek rhetoric (1Cor.2:1; 2Cor.11:6). In contrast, it seems Hebrews is written by one who had received a Greek education.
I. But for Paul it seems that Hebrew was his heart language — from Acts 26:14, where God speaks to him in Hebrew. (See also Acts 21:40, 22:2)
1. Hebrew (Aramaic) “a Hebrew of Hebrews” (Phil.3:5), rare/strange among the diaspora (Jews scattered throughout the Gentile world)
a. Tarsus was closer to Judea than most of the cities where the diaspora lived.
b. Recently moved to Tarsus?
III. Education
A. Trained in Jerusalem – Acts 22:3
1. Boarding school?
2. Well-to-do family, to be able to send their son to Jerusalem for education
3. Probably moved to Jerusalem when he was 10-13 years old (that’s the stage of education which could not be had in a place like Tarsus).
B. The education he received was in preparation to be a scribe, an expert in the law, a rabbi, a professional teacher of the law.
C. Learned under Gamaliel (Acts 5:34; 22:3)
1. All Paul had to do was mention that he was taught at the feet of Gamaliel for everyone to know he had received a top-notch Hebrew education.
2. Gamaliel was the grandson of the famous Jewish rabbi Hillel, known for his piety and gentleness in the generation before the birth of Christ.
D. Paul had at least one sister, who probably lived in Jerusalem, whose son, according to Acts 23:16, saved Paul’s life from a plot. It is possible that this was an older sister, who was married and lived in Jerusalem and with whom Paul lived while he was being educated.
IV. He was a serious person even as a child and a serious student. He took God’s law very seriously. Enough so that he is able to say he had a reputation for being scrupulous about the law while he lived in Tarsus and in Jerusalem (Acts 26:4).
V. He rose to a high level in the community of the Jewish leaders, perhaps even into the Sanhedrin.
A. Cast his vote against Christians (Acts 26:10)
B. Stood by when Stephen was stoned by the Sanhedrin
C. Was around 30, the age at which you could come into the Sanhedrin
D. He was at least a prospective member of the Sanhedrin, it would seem.
E. He was in charge of the crackdown on the church.
F. Phil.3:6 “as to zeal, a persecutor of the church.”
G. Acts 8:3 But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house; and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison.
1. Acts 26:10 "And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I cast my vote against them.
H. It might be easy to wonder whether Paul had begun to wonder. Maybe, as he was striding down the road to Damascus, he was thinking about everything: “What if I’m wrong? What if Jesus really is the Messiah?” Maybe he began to seek. Maybe he even began to pray: “Show me the truth, Lord.” Maybe there was some openness in Paul that made him ready to meet Jesus.
1. But that’s not how the NT paints the picture at all. Paul was a man consumed with hate.
2. Paul himself tells us what he was doing and thinking as he traveled to Damascus, he says he had, “raging fury against them.” (Acts 26:11).
3. He wasn’t content with persecuting local Christians. Driving them away wasn’t good enough. He wanted to go find them and bring them back.
a. And when Jesus suddenly appeared and spoke to Him, he had no idea who He was. “Who are you, Lord?” He was completely surprised.
4. He wasn’t just doing a job. “breathing threats and murder against the disciples” (Acts 9:1) he took the initiative to ask permission to go on a mission to Damascus to arrest Christians.
a. Acts 26:9-11 “I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them. 11 And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme...”
I. And in this he wasn’t just going along with the prevailing attitude of the other Jewish leaders. He was leading.
1. Not the attitude of his master, Gamaliel (Acts 5:34–39), who had encouraged a hands-off and even an open-minded approach toward the Christians.
VI. Conversion
A. Story – Acts 9:1-6
1. Road to Emmaus
2. Bright light strikes him to the ground
3. Jesus speaks to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?
4. Acts 9:5 He said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”
B. And so begins three days of blind isolation where Paul gets to rethink everything in light of this one new Fact – Acts 9:8
VII. The significance of Paul’s conversion
A. One of the greatest miracles of Jesus
1. Raising of Lazarus
2. Sky goes dark, curtain torn
3. Resurrection
B. On the one hand, it is a unique story. It doesn’t happen very often that such an antagonistic person comes to Christ.
1. But on the other hand, this story is emblematic of the gospel, and of the power of God’s grace over sin.
C. The gospel manifested in a man
1. Sinful rebel overpowered by the grace of Jesus
2. A Jew who becomes the apostle to the Gentiles
3. Saul the persecutor is a picture of who we are before God: not just rebellious but antagonistic.
4. ? In Genesis 1 when God says “Let there be light!” the light isn’t being invited or even merely commanded. The light is being compelled, the light is being forced to come into existence. And now, the God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2Corinthians 4:6)
a. ? It’s hard to believe he didn’t have his own conversion in mind.
5. Paul a trophy of God’s grace: look what Jesus can do!
6. 1Timothy 1:13–16 Formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent... But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.
D. While Paul was filled with hate and fury, God was looking at him with love. Isn’t that amazing!
1. What does this mean about the way God views us even when we’re sinning?
2. What does this say to us about how we should view others who are filled with hate and fury?
E. Perhaps the greatest apologetic is the changed lives of people:
1. The transformation of the timid disciples
2. CS Lewis, Chuck Colson
3. Rosaria Butterfield (author of The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert: An English Professor's Journey into Christian Faith)
4. Nabeel Qureshi (author of Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity)
5. None greater than Paul