Addressing Abusers

I. Introduction
A. Psalm 119:130 The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.
B. Today, we come to one of those little-known passages of the NT. But it’s very powerful & relevant.
C. Last week, I decided to omit an illustration which I later wished I’d left in. And since it provides a good opening to our passage this morning, I’m going to start with it.
1. We were talking about 2Cor.11:13-15, where Paul refers to men who were trying hard to lead the Corinthian congregation astray as “false apostles, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder,” he goes on to say, “for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.
2. We talked about disguises. We talked about counterfeiting.
3. But it seems to me that there is a form of this which Satan is using in our day which we need to be aware of. One of the popular ways of counterfeiting today is counterfeiting great works of art. People have gotten so good at it that it’s become difficult even for experts to discern.
4. And that’s the kind of counterfeiting we think of when we talk about counterfeit Jesuses.
5. But there’s another type of counterfeiting going on today to great effect, which – unlike counterfeit art – emphasizes quantity over quality.
6. Perhaps the best way to illustrate this is with the Where’s Waldo? books.
a. The thing which makes Waldo so hard to find is not that the others in the photo look so much like Waldo. Rather, it’s the fact that there are so many others crowded onto the page.
D. Now, lets turn to this morning’s passage:
1. These false apostles keep claiming to be better than Paul, and to question his apostleship.
2. Paul hates to get into the business of comparisons, but in this case he feels like he has no choice. The false accusations which have been thrown at him necessitate a response.
3. But as he wades into the this boasting in himself, he is very self-conscious about it.
a. He doesn’t want to give the impression that this kind of thing is OK.
b. He wants to condemn it – even though at the same time he feels constrained to do it.
c. If anyone ever boasted without communicating to others that boasting is OK, it’s Paul in 2Cor.
E. 2Corinthians 11:16–21a I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. 17 What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would but as a fool. 18 Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. 19 For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves! 20 For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. 21 To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that!
F. Much of this passage overlaps with other things Paul has been saying. So, though we’ll cover the whole passage, I want to give most of the attention to v.20, because that says something new.
II. Explanation
A. 16-19 are all about boasting. He’s makes clear again that boasting is an activity which is completely contrary to the way of Christ. But even as he does so, he carves out a very small exception when boasting is not done for self-promotion but for love. Let me give you an example re: marriage.
1. Some folks struggle at times to believe that anybody loves them – even their own spouse.
2. And sometimes you have to try to prove that they are loved by God and others by laying out the evidence. This might even involve laying out the evidence of your love. You boast in your love for them, and cite examples of it. Now, that kind of thing is ordinarily not good. But, in a case where Satan is telling them lies that need to be countered, there is a time to do it.
B. But then in v.20 he scolds them for putting up with the abusive techniques of the false apostles: “For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face.”
1. There are five expressions here to describe the abuse the Corinthians had put up with from the false apostles.
a. “make slaves of you” — treating others like they’re your slaves.
b. “devour you” — exploitation/plunder, Ps.14:4 “evildoers eat up my people as they eat bread.”
c. “takes advantage of you” — the word for take, much like in the English expression: he got taken.
d. “put on airs” — pushed themselves forward
(1) In contrast to Paul, who humbled himself that they might be exalted.
e. “strikes you in the face” — We don’t know if this was literal or verbal. But, either way, these believers enjoyed someone who would knock heads together.
2. They’ve treated them as slaves, exploited them, taken them advantage of them; they’ve acted like the world revolves around them, they’ve knocked them around. These guys were bullies!
3. But instead of that being a big turn-off, the Corinthians have actually responded favorably to it! What is going on? It might sound strange, but some people actually like bullies.
4. Now, Christianity isn’t all about being polite! God is a holy God. Though He is kind/merciful, that doesn’t mean He’s always polite. And sometimes love demands that WE go beyond the boundaries of being polite. Was Jesus polite to the Pharisees in Matt.23? They didn’t think so.
5. But – and this is a big but – but Christianity is not a bully religion; it is not a ‘tough guy’ religion; it is not a violent religion. True Christians are humble; they are kind; they are merciful; they are compassionate; they are servants of others.
6. Just before the fruits of the Spirit in Gal.5:22-23, Paul lists the fruits of the flesh, including sins like enmity, strife, fits of anger, rivalries (Gal.5:20).
7. And when Jesus gives us the keys to His blessedness, it’s not all about strength and boldness and courage – though there’s definitely a time for those. But it’s about meekness, and poverty of spirit, and mercy, and peacemaking, and purity of heart, and contentment in the face of injustice.
8. “How in the world are THOSE things going to make a difference? People like that are just going to get eaten up by others! Only the strong survive.” That’s the way it looks through human eyes.
9. But the reason weak-looking things like humility, compassion, patience and service are actually mighty world-changing weapons is because there is a God behind the scenes making it happen.
10. Which weapons do YOU really believe will be effective? The Corinthians tended to prefer ones which were spectacular and powerful-looking. They preferred their leaders bold, aggressive, flamboyant, forceful. That’s why they were easily duped into accepting the false prophets.
11. Paul’s demeanor – characterized by the meekness and gentleness of Christ (10:1) – was interpreted as weakness.
12. But Paul is telling them that those who treat the flock like this are actually false shepherds. True shepherds don’t enslave or devour or take advantage or exalt themselves, nor are they violent or abusive.
13. The Corinthians were not the first group to prefer tyrants over more humble leaders. In 1Sam 8, the Israelites rejected Samuel in exchange for the self-willed and despotic king Saul.
14. And they’re certainly not the last. We’ll talk about that more in a minute.
C. 21a To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that!
1. Paul is being sarcastic here: We’re so sorry, we were too weak to knock you around, we were too weak to treat you roughly like the false apostles did!
2. If being “strong” means acting like the false apostles, then Paul was indeed weak. Yet it is the kind of weakness God approves and honors.
3. But make no mistake: God despises the tyranny, the pretentiousness, and the verbal cruelty that church despots (and marriage despots, and parental despots) have inflicted down through the ages.
4. Let me stop and say something about the word despot. The word despot actually comes from the Greek word DESPOTES, meaning absolute ruler, absolute authority. Although it is a very negative word when referring to humans, there is one person for whom it fits perfectly.
a. A few weeks ago we were talking about Simeon, the old prophet who saw the baby Jesus in the temple and took Him into His arms. And do you remember what he said? “Now, Lord, you let Your servant depart in peace, for my eyes have seen Your salvation.” (Lk.2:29-30)
b. The word Simeon uses, translated ‘Lord’ there, is DESPOTES.
c. And we all need to know well that there is a despot – the Lord God almighty – but we’re not Him.
d. And any mere human who acts like a despot is actually trying to usurp God’s place.
III. Application: the path of humility
A. The Corinthians were captivated by the brash self-boasting of the false prophets, for that’s the kind of communication they admired and enjoyed. They expect people to glory in themselves.
1. They were growing weary of humility and self-denial. They were gravitating toward gruffness.
2. For some violence can be enjoyable; harshness can be fun.
a. “Line ‘em up against the wall and shoot ‘em! We’ll ask questions later.”
3. For the Corinthians, the gifts of the Spirit were very important, especially the spectacular gifts, the gifts which involved displays of power: miracles and tongues.
4. But they didn’t find the fruits of the Spirit so easy to swallow – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal.5:22-23).
5. How they the Corinthians must have loved the story of Jesus cleansing of the temple – where Jesus used a whip and overturned tables! It’s the closest Jesus ever got to using violence.
a. The problem is, that’s one story. And, yes, there’s a time to be dramatic and disruptive. But it’s very much the exception, not the rule. We can’t turn that into the basis of Christian ethics.
b. There’s a lot of other stories, too — stories they probably didn’t really like, stories of Christ’s tenderness toward a woman, stories of Christ’s compassion toward the one who was blind, stories of Jesus instructing His disciples to turn the other cheek, stories of Jesus rebuking those who want to resort to violence and warning them that the one who lives by the sword will die by the sword.
6. Some people prefer aggression and authoritarianism instead of the way Christ treated people.
B. They weren’t put off by the gruffness of these deceivers. What put them off was Paul’s humility.
1. It’s as if they preferred Paul’s pre-Christian lifestyle over his Christian lifestyle. Until he met Jesus, Paul was a hammerer. But as a Christian, he was more like a nail – for he had come to believe that the secret to power was walking in the way of the cross. Listen to Phil.2:3-9, where he articulates this philosophy:
a. “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name.”
b. These words were written from prison by one who had been transformed from a hammer to a nail.
c. And that says something too. Godly living is more likely to lead you to prison than to stardom.
2. There is something which looks like humility which is really driven by fear. But Jesus was not afraid. Paul was not afraid. Their humility – and the humility of others who follow Him – is driven by love and by hope, not by fear.
C. We’re following Jesus, and His path leads to the cross before it leads to the crown.
1. But, like the Corinthians, people don’t want to live in the land of the cross. They don’t want to wait any longer. They want to get to the land of the crown now.
2. But, my Friends, this is not our ultimate destination. The land of the crown is coming, but this is the land of the cross. This is the land of serving others, the land of living lives of humility&grace.
3. For this isn’t about us. it’s about Christ. As Paul said in 2Cor.4:5, “What we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.”
D. In Psalm 73, the psalmist also got tired of carefully walking the path of humility and obedience. He envied the life of those who let loose and did want they wanted and said what they wanted. Until one day, he remembered where the two paths lead: how the path of going your own way leads ultimately to ruin and judgment, while the path of faith and obedience leads to glory and rest.
E. What are Christian values? They certainly include the moral principles of the 10 commandments.
1. But they’re more than that. Christian values also include humility, meekness, the fruits of the HS.
F. Paul is being accused of being a wimp. But the fact is, Paul the one being bold. He is the one showing courage. He is the hero who is refusing to buckle under pressure. He fears only God.
IV. Application: addressing abuse
A. Sadly, abuse happens — even in the church.
1. The Bible does not ignore the reality of abuse. Not only this, but the Bible faces the reality of abuse inside of the circle of God’s people.
2. Of course, for some, any exercise of authority is abuse, so we have to be careful not to overdo it.
a. For a cynic or a person who really doesn’t believe in love, authority equals abuse.
b. E.g. many teenagers feel abused when their parents say no about something. But real abuse exists.
3. It’s in the OT.
a. Jeremiah 23:1–2 “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD. 2 Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: “You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the LORD.”
b. Ezekiel 34:2–4 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? 3 You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. 4 The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them.”
4. It’s in the NT.
a. Luke 12:45–46 If that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful.
5. Unlike some others, God does not sweep abuse under the carpet or pretend it isn’t there. He faces it and condemns it.
B. In fact, He’s not only angry with those who abuse, we can see in v.20 that He’s angry with those who put up with abuse.
1. Now sometimes there’s nothing an abused person can do except pray.
2. But many times there are things which can be done.
3. It can be messy and scary to confront abuse. It’s understandable that people don’t speak up.
4. But if everybody remains silent, if no one risks their own welfare for the sake of other victims or potential victims, then the abuse continues and people keep getting hurt.
C. Paul is not victim shaming here. In no way is he shifting the blame from the abuser to the victim.
1. Paul is definitely not taking the blame off the false apostles. He has criticized them much more than he criticizes the Corinthian believers.
2. Because the style of these false apostles appealed to the vanity of the Corinthians, they got victimized. Did that excuse or even minimize the sin of the false apostles? Of course not!
3. But he is calling on the Corinthians to stop putting up with the abuse.
4. Now, as far as I know, this is the only passage in the Bible which contains some criticism of the victims of abuse. So, let’s not get carried away with this.
5. But some victims need to be shamed a little.
6. Paul is also not shaming powerless people. They don’t have to put up with this, much less encourage it.
D. When abuse occurs, there are often people who know about the abuse but remain quiet, or who don’t want to know about the abuse and look the other way. Many times it’s because of fear; many times it’s because they’re getting some benefit which they don’t want to risk.
1. But the path of Christ is the path of dying so that others might live. And the messy ramifications of squealing in order to expose & try to prevent abuse are often the cost of walking Christ’s path.