Sermon on 2 Corinthians 12:11–13:14: Eight questions for self-examination
A sermon from Latimer Church working through the closing passage of Paul's second letter to the Corinthians.
Summary
James de Costobadie preaches the concluding sermon in Latimer Church's series through 2 Corinthians, focusing on Paul's call to self-examination in chapter 13 verse 5. He sets the passage in context: throughout the letter Paul has been under scrutiny from the Corinthians, who were drawn to more impressive "super-apostles" preaching a more comfortable gospel. Now Paul turns the tables and calls the Corinthians to test themselves before his third visit, warning that he will exercise church discipline if they have not repented. The sermon's central structure is eight diagnostic questions drawn from the whole letter, each framed as a mark of genuine Christian faith. De Costobadie closes with Paul's benediction in verse 14, presenting it not as a polite farewell but as words of deep assurance for a church that has drifted.
Key Takeaways
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Introduction: A test for the congregation
James de Costobadie: Tonight is a slightly different sermon to usual, because as we wrap up the book we are going to have a test. I don't know if you love tests or hate tests, but tough luck — welcome. Because as Paul finishes this letter, he invites the Corinthians to have a test. You'll notice one of his last commands in chapter 13 verse 5. He says, "Test yourselves. Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith." Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realise that Christ Jesus is in you — unless, of course, you fail the test?
So he says to the Corinthians: reflect on your life. Examine your own hearts and see whether or not your claim to follow Jesus is actually a genuine claim. Are you actually authentic Christian people? Test yourselves. And so tonight, that is what we are going to do. We are going to test ourselves to see whether or not we are genuinely following Jesus.
Context: Paul under examination
Let me give you a little bit of context. For most of the letter it has been the Apostle Paul who has been under examination — or tested, if you like. He has been tested by the Corinthians. To the Corinthians, Paul seemed to be a little bit pathetic — a weak person who suffered a lot for Jesus. He talked a lot about the need to turn away from sin. He talked a lot about Jesus' death on the cross for the sins of the people. He wasn't a very eloquent speaker. He just kind of went on about the same things. And so they were questioning: is that authentic Christian ministry?
Because alongside Paul, within the church of Corinth, there had been other leaders who had come up who were much more impressive. They were eloquent speakers. They were charismatic leaders. They were successful in the eyes of the world, and they spoke a different message to Paul — which was, frankly, much more appealing. It was a message in which the Corinthians were able to live however they wanted, and these super-apostles, as Paul calls them, promised them a life of blessing. They spoke about their great spiritual experiences and invited the Corinthians to have spiritual experiences like they did. It was a message that made people feel good. And so the Corinthians were being drawn away from Jesus and sucked in by these super-apostles, these false teachers.
So Paul is under their examination, and he has written the letter to say to them: I am a genuine follower of Jesus. As we have worked our way through the letter, we have seen how he has built that argument. Like Jesus, he suffers. Like Jesus, he puts aside his own needs in order to love and care for the Corinthians. He has been under examination, but now at the end of the letter he turns the tables and says: okay, I hope I have passed your test. Now test yourselves. Are you genuine followers of Jesus?
Paul's planned third visit and the warning of judgment
The reason he asks them to test themselves is because he plans to come and visit them. I am sure you picked it up in the reading. He talks about a third visit to them in chapter 12 verse 14: "I am ready to visit you a third time." Or chapter 13 verse 1: "This will be my third visit to you."
Paul visited the church in Corinth the first time in about 50 AD, when he planted the church. He went into the city and told people about Jesus for the first time, and the church started as people believed the message. Six years later, about 56 AD, he went back to Corinth to visit the church, but already the church was in disarray. Already they had started to listen to false teachers, they had moved away from Jesus, sin had crept into the church, there was division and immorality, and it was a painful visit. That is how Paul described it back in chapter 2. It was a really painful visit because they did not welcome Paul in the way they had at first.
He now writes this letter before he visits them a third time, and his hope is that when they receive this letter — which urges them to repentance and urges them to come back to Jesus — they will hear it and they will do it, so that when he visits he will not have to come in judgment. It will be a much more pleasant visit. But he is worried. He is worried that they will ignore the warnings.
Have a look at chapter 12 verse 21. He says: "I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented." Or he says in chapter 13 verse 2: "I already gave you a warning when I was with you the second time. I now repeat it while absent: on my return I will not spare those who sinned earlier or any of the others. Since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me — he is not weak in dealing with you but is powerful among you. For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God's power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God's power we will live with him in our dealing with you."
One of the things that the Corinthians were accusing Paul of — and particularly the super-apostles were saying about Paul — is that he was a bit of a weak guy. He was kind of big with his words. He talked this big game of church discipline and calling people to repentance, but when you see him face to face, he is a bit of a softy. He does not really follow through. He does not really have any power. He is just all talk. That is what they accused him of.
Paul says: when I come the third time, you will see that I do come in the power of Jesus. Jesus seemed weak as he died on a cross 2,000 years ago — rejected by everyone, stripped naked, beaten, bleeding, dying, buried. But do not be fooled. Three days later he rose from the dead, and he is seen in his power as he ascends to the right hand of God and rules over the world. And Paul says: I come in that same power. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in me. And when I come the third time, you will see it, because I will deal with the people who are not repenting.
Now, when he says he will deal with the people who are not repenting, it does not mean he is going to come and chop their heads off. What he means is he is going to put them out of fellowship with the church. He is going to excommunicate them. He is going to exercise church discipline. He is going to point out to the church that these people are not genuine believers and they are no longer welcome. That is actually what he called the Corinthian church to do themselves back in 1 Corinthians chapter 5 — he said the people who are rejoicing in sin, you should point out that that is not right and you should put them out of fellowship. So Paul is going to come in power and he is going to rebuke them. There are consequences for their continued refusal to repent. But he really hopes he does not have to. So he writes this letter and tells them: test yourselves, look at your own hearts, examine yourselves and repent, so that I do not have to come.
Paul's love for the Corinthians
This warning that he gives them — this bold warning — it comes from love, as I mentioned in the Q&A. He really loves these people, and it becomes really obvious. He says it a number of times even in these verses, and we have seen it throughout the letter. He talks about how he would give even himself, in verse 15 of chapter 12. He says: "I will gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well." Because he loves them.
I think sometimes commands can come from a place of love but not be read that way. I have got a couple of young kids. I told them earlier this week: it is cold outside, put a jersey on. Easy command. But you would think by their response and the fuss they made that I hate them — like I actually want them to put a jersey on so that they go outside and die a slow, painful death. I just did not want them to get cold. And five minutes later, as they are shivering without a jersey on, they realise: oh, Dad actually loves us.
I think that is what is going on here with this letter that Paul writes. It could be received as Paul just being harsh, not caring about them. But actually he loves them. He wants them to be right with the living God. He wants them to turn away from their sins and to trust in Jesus, who promises to forgive them. And so out of love he says: test yourself.
The eight questions for self-examination
So as we do that now for the time we have got together, can I invite you to hear this invitation to examine ourselves — as a church family and as individuals — out of love? God loves us, and so his word is full of warnings for us.
Imagine the Apostle Paul was going to visit us tonight and he would put out of fellowship anyone who is not a genuine believer. It would be scary, would it not? But actually what is even more scary is not Paul visiting, but that one day we will actually stand before the very throne of God and he will judge us, and he will send away those who are not genuine followers of Jesus. So I am sure you have sat tests before, and some of them are probably pretty important, but none of them are as important as the one we are about to sit.
One more thing before I give you the test, and that is just to say this is not an entrance exam. Sometimes you have to sit a kind of entrance test to get into a university degree, and if you pass you get in and if you fail you get out. That is not what is going on here. If you are here tonight and you are not someone who has even started following Jesus — you would not call yourself a Christian, you are not sure what you make of him — it is great you are here. The way to get into the kingdom of God is by accepting his free offer to forgive you for your sins. Jesus says: just repent and believe. Turn to me. Believe in me. That is all you need to do. This is not an entrance exam. But if you have put your trust in Jesus, it will radically change you. So if you are here tonight as someone who does claim to follow Jesus, there should be things that are evident in our lives that show that to be true.
What I want us to do is reflect on eight questions. They are questions that have come out of the whole letter. Paul has given them loads of things to think about that show the genuine life of a Christian. I am going to go through them reasonably quickly because there are eight of them, but I want you to write them down and go away this week and think about them. Reflect on them yourself. I want you to be able to chat with each other so that we can help each other. If the person beside you is not writing them down, nudge them — because you will not remember them.
So, eight questions by which we ought to examine ourselves.
Question 1: Do you suffer for the sake of Christ?
Question number one. Do you suffer for the sake of Christ? Examine yourself. Can you think of any ways that you have suffered because you are a Christian? Because that was Paul's hope for the Corinthians. Back in chapter 1 verse 7, Paul says: "Our hope for you, Corinthians, is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort."
The normal Christian life is a life of suffering. A large part of Paul's defence of his own ministry has been to show that he suffers as Jesus suffered. Jesus said: if you want to come after me, you must take up your cross daily and follow. So the first question to ask ourselves is: do you suffer for Jesus? Can you think of actual things that have caused you suffering because you are a Christian?
Perhaps it is the suffering that comes from being ridiculed for your faith — you are the only Christian in your family and you feel put down all the time, or you feel the pressure from workmates or at university or school because people know you are a Christian, you get left out because you cannot do the things others do. That is suffering. Maybe it is the suffering that comes from trying to live a holy life, the suffering that comes from saying no to sin, the battle of self-denial. That is suffering for Jesus. Perhaps it is suffering that comes because of the sacrifices you have made — the money you have given, the time you have given, the job you have maybe turned down, the relationship you have said no to. Have you suffered for Jesus? You cannot be a Christian and not suffer in some way because of your faith.
Question 2: Do you see the glory of Jesus and the gospel?
Question two. Do you see the glory of Jesus and the gospel? Have a look at chapter 3 verse 16. Paul says: "Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away." What is this veil that people have that is taken away? Well, verse 18: "We all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." Or he goes on in chapter 4 verses 4 to 6: "The God of this age" — that is Satan — "has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."
What Paul is saying is that if we have genuinely turned to the Lord, then the gospel — that is, the message of Jesus Christ crucified for us — will become a glorious message to us. It will become something that we delight in. We will see the light of the gospel, the light of the glory of God in Jesus. As we hear about Jesus dying for our sins and being raised from the dead, we will see him as our Saviour, dying for our sins. We will see him as our only hope. We will understand that if we know Jesus, we know the God of the universe. We will understand that Jesus dying on the cross has changed our eternal destiny, and so we will delight in it. And Jesus will not be just some kind of boring person from history who you kind of maybe hear about at church or read about in some ancient book — he will be our Saviour, our friend, our companion. You will love Jesus and you will long to know more of him.
We live in such a beautiful place. I have been reminded of that recently. I went for a drive out in the countryside to get into the snow-capped mountains. And I think when you see something glorious, it does just take your breath away. It is amazing. And if you have had to do any hard work to see the glory — you have had to climb a mountain, you have got sore feet, you are out of breath, your shoulders are aching — and you get to the top and you see it, and you just forget all the pain. It was worth it.
Friends, that is a little bit what it is like when you become a Christian. You hear about Jesus and it is just glorious. It takes your breath away. God loves me so much that Jesus died for me. I will never get sick of hearing that. And if you are a genuine believer, then you will know that. You will delight in it. One of the marks of a person who is in the faith is that they delight in the person of Jesus. So, is that you? You cannot be a Christian and not delight in Jesus.
Question 3: Do you treasure eternity?
Third question. Do you treasure eternity? Does the thought of eternity fill your mind on a daily basis? Does the assurance of knowing that your home is in heaven fill your heart with gladness? Chapter 4 verse 18, Paul says: "Fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. Since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." He goes on to speak about the way that we groan in this life because this life is full of suffering and hardship, but actually we long to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling.
Friends, is that you? You just cannot wait for your heavenly dwelling? Or are you overcome by the worries and anxieties of this life? It is easy to be, is it not — to know you have got the hope of heaven, but actually the things of this world are the things that consume you. You are worried about money, you are worried about friendships, you are worried about the number of things you have got to get done, or you are worried about your health or your work, and you just do not lift your eyes to eternity.
Friends, if we are in the faith, we will live forever with the Lord Jesus. And a sign that you know that will be that you think about it, you fix your eyes on it, and you live like it. You cannot be a Christian and live for this world alone. Do you treasure eternity?
Question 4: Are you compelled by the love of Christ to speak of Christ?
Question four. Are you compelled by the love of Christ to speak of Christ? Paul the Apostle was compelled by his love for Jesus to proclaim Jesus, and he wants the Corinthians to be fellow workers with him. So in chapter 5 verse 14 he says: "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all." And notice he says in that verse that Jesus died so that we would no longer live for ourselves, doing what we please, but rather we actually live for Jesus. And living for Jesus means we proclaim Jesus. We proclaim his death and resurrection by the way that we live and by the words that we speak.
And so a question we need to ask ourselves is: are we so moved by Jesus' love for us — are you so moved by Jesus' love for you — that you cannot shut up about it? You see how much Jesus loves the lost person, and you are filled with love for them in the same way, and you are willing to speak of him at every opportunity? Or, like me, do you too often just keep your mouth shut? You remain silent. You want to avoid spiritual conversation. And if you are honest, there is no way you would want people to know that you are here tonight because you are a bit embarrassed by it.
When you hear us talk about Life Course and a guest service next week and the event on Tuesday evening, is your first thought: oh, I so hope that person will come, and I am going to do something about it — I am going to pray for them, I am going to invite them, I am going to proclaim Jesus? Or is it actually just: ah well, someone else will do it? Friends, you cannot be a Christian and never speak about Christ. That is impossible. Are you compelled by the love of Christ to speak of Christ?
Question 5: Do you live a holy life out of reverence for God?
Question number five. Do you live a holy life out of reverence for God? That is what Paul calls the Corinthians to do in chapter 7 verse 1. He says: "Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God."
And so, friends, let me ask you: is that you? Do you so fear God, love God, delight in God, and live in light of the truth of God's existence, that you are eager to please him in every way? Do you work really hard at holiness? I think it is very easy, is it not, to let sin coexist with our so-called faith. We know, perhaps, that we are too angry, or jealous, or proud, happy to hold on to sexual immorality or bitterness or greed, and we pretend it does not really matter. But friends, you cannot be a Christian and delight in sin. So do you live a holy life out of reverence for God?
Question 6: Does your repentance lead to joy and a changed life?
Question number six, and really related to question number five: does your repentance lead to joy in your salvation and a changed life? In chapter 7 verse 10, Paul says: "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death."
You see, it is possible to be really sorry for your sins but actually never really change, and it just leads to sorrow. You just feel more guilty. And then you sin again, and then you feel guilty, and then you sin again, and you feel more guilty, and this goes on and on and on. That is possible. That is worldly sorrow. But real repentance — the word repent means change — means you recognise you are going the wrong way and you turn around and go the other way. You stop doing what is wrong and you start doing what is right. And that real repentance actually leads to joy, because you recognise that Jesus forgives the person who has repented. He promises to wash our guilt away if we repent and turn to him. And so if you repent and there is change in your life, it should fill you with joy, because you know you have salvation. A genuine Christian life will be marked by joyful change. And so does your repentance lead to joy?
Question 7: Does your love for Christ overflow into joyful generosity?
Question seven. Does your love for Christ overflow into joyful generosity? That is what chapters 8 and 9 of the letter were all about, as Paul urges the Corinthian church to be a generous church. He says in verse 7: "But since you excel in everything — in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness, and in the love we have kindled — see that you also excel in the grace of giving." And he says: "I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that through his poverty you might become rich."
You see, when you become a Christian you understand the generosity of God. You see the generosity of Jesus — he was rich, he was seated in the very throne room of heaven, he had everything, and yet he made himself nothing, became a helpless baby born in a manger, died as a criminal on a cross. He became poor so that we might be rich. He took all of that on so that he might give us the blessings of heaven. And when you realise how generous God has been, it makes you a generous person. And so it shows the genuineness of our faith. I understand God's generosity, so I will be generous — generous with my money, generous with my time, generous with my gifts, generous in every way, because God has been generous to us. You cannot be a Christian and not be generous. So examine yourselves: does your love for Christ overflow into joyful generosity?
Question 8: Do you embrace your weakness for the sake of God's power?
And then lastly, question eight. Do you embrace your weakness for the sake of seeing God's power displayed in your life? We saw that last week. If you were with us, chapter 12 — it came up in the Q&A as well — where Paul says in verse 9: "My grace is sufficient for you," said Jesus, "for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses and insults and hardships and persecutions and difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Paul rejoiced that he was weak. He rejoiced in his hardship, rejoiced in the things that often we would be embarrassed by and hide from others. But he rejoices in them because he knows that when he is weak and depends totally on God, that is when he is most strong, because God works through him. He served Jesus from this position of weakness so that it was clear to everyone that it was God who was at work through him.
And so, do you embrace weakness for the sake of seeing God's power? Or do you shy away from it? You shy away from suffering. You complain as soon as something goes wrong. You pursue comfort and ease and success. You are attracted to the strong and the powerful and the successful. You are proud of your abilities, your gifts, your achievements. You boast in the things you are good at, or despair because you do not think you are good at anything. Or do you boast in your weakness for the sake of seeing God's power? Because a Christian is someone who boasts in weakness, not in power.
Responding to the test
So there you go — eight questions that summarise the letter. Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith. Paul's aim for the Corinthians, as they examined their hearts after hearing this letter, is that they would pass the test. His longing is that they would read through those questions and say: yes, that describes us. We are like that. And therefore they would be filled with joy at knowing that Jesus is in them. And I hope and pray — and I am confident — that actually as we do that ourselves together as a church family tonight or in the week ahead, we will be filled with that same joy. We will go: actually, yes, that is us. That is what we are striving for.
Now, as you consider these questions, I know you will not be perfect, and I know you will see your failings, because there is always more we can do. Do you suffer for the sake of Christ? Well, yes, but I could do more. Do you see the glory of Jesus? Yes, but I wish I delighted in him more. Are you treasuring eternity? Yes, but I wish I thought about it more. Are you compelled by the love of Christ to speak about Christ? Yes, but I wish I did it more. So we are all so aware of our failings.
But friends, the very fact that you can see it — that should encourage you. If you feel a desire to grow in these eight things, then you can have confidence that you are in the faith, you are in Jesus, and that Jesus is in you. Because if he was not, you would not care. It would not trouble you. You would just be complacent. But the very fact that you do care, and you read that list and go, I wish I was more like that, is evidence that God is at work in you.
Paul's closing call and benediction
And so Paul says, as he signs off this letter: aim for perfection. Notice that in verse 11 of chapter 13 he says: "Finally, brothers and sisters" — rejoice is the literal translation — "strive for full restoration, or full perfection. Encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you." He is not calling for the church in Corinth to be perfect in all these ways, but he is saying: strive for it, go for it, keep striving to grow in each of these areas — getting rid of sin, pursuing holiness, living for eternity, being generous. Literally, he is saying: aim for restoration. Aim to put things right between you and God, between you and each other.
And so as we finish the letter of 2 Corinthians that we have worked our way through over the last couple of months, I just want to encourage us not to go away unchanged by it. If there are things that, as you read through the list of eight questions we have thought about this evening, you think: actually, that is not true for me — then make some changes. And notice as well that Paul calls the Corinthians to unity in their response. He says: be of one mind and live in peace. So individually we are to examine ourselves and think: am I like that as a person, is that me? But we are also to help each other in it. We are to encourage each other. It is not enough just to make sure that you are in the faith — we must also help each other around us do the same. We are to remain united in it.
And so if, as you read through the list this evening, you are not quite sure how you measure up — you have some doubts, you have questions — that is not a very nice thing to sit with. But can I encourage you to share that with someone and talk about it with people you know and trust? Because we are called to help each other, to pray together, to encourage one another with the good news of Jesus who died for our sins.
Paul was confident that the Corinthians would pass the test. And he finishes with these words of great encouragement in verse 14 — words that are very well known to us: "May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."
But to a church which had drifted and let sin creep in, those words are not just a nice sentiment. They are words of great assurance. Paul says: may the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. Yes, you have drifted away. Yes, sin has crept in. But may you experience Jesus' undeserved love. May they know that Jesus loves them in a way they do not deserve. May they know that there is forgiveness waiting for them because Jesus died for them. He says: may the love of God be with you. In other words, may you know that the God who created you loves you enough to send his only Son to die for you. And may the God who loves you work everything in your life for good, making you more like his Son. And he says: may the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with them. In other words, may you be aware of God's presence with you — that if you draw near to God, he will draw near to you by his Spirit, and he will transform you, he will help you from the inside out to get rid of sin.
And so the final verse is not just a nice sentiment, a few nice words — they are words of great assurance. And so I want to finish with them tonight.
Because tonight perhaps there are some people here who realise, as they examine themselves, that they are not in the faith. You read that list and think: that is not me. I do not delight in the gospel. It may be that there are some here tonight who realise that they may be in the faith but they are drifting — there are things they need to work on, they are not living the Christian life very well. Or it may be that there are some here tonight who are just filled with confidence. You read the list and you rejoice. You wish you were better and you want to strive for more, but actually you just feel encouraged because, well, that is you.
Friends, wherever you are at, hear the words of comfort of verse 14. There is grace awaiting you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is available to you. Turn to Jesus wherever you are at spiritually, and he will not turn you away. Turn away from your sin and know that Jesus died for you. Know that God the Father loves you, and know that he will draw near to you by his Spirit. And so, friends, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Spirit be with you all. Amen.
Closing prayer
Our Father in heaven, we do thank you for this letter, written many hundreds of years ago and yet still so helpful for us. We thank you for the way that it exposes our sin, for the way that it gently and lovingly warns us to stick with Jesus and not drift from him. And so I pray, Father, that you would help us to examine ourselves honestly, clearly. Help us to see our blind spots, our sin. Help us to help each other. And help us as a church family to keep striving for perfection. We pray that we would be found as those who genuinely love and follow Jesus. And we thank you that you do not call us to do that on our own, but that you promise to give us everything we need through Jesus who died for us, and through your Spirit who lives with us. And so strengthen us, we ask, for the honour and glory of your own name. We ask it in Jesus's powerful name. Amen.