2 Corinthians: 2:1 - 2:13
Only Love Can Break Your Heart

The Story (again)
There and back again
Paul had mentioned to the Corinthians that he planned to visit them to collect money for the Jerusalem church in 1 Cor 16:1-6.
2 Cor 1:16 reveals that he had updated them at some point with plans to visit them twice, once at the start of his collection trip and again at the end.
Ephesus, we have a problem
On the first of these visits, something goes wrong... Evidentally, a particular individual is in grave sin (likely committing some insult against Paul specifically, 2 Cor 1:15-23, 2:5-11, 7:12, but possibly the sin referenced in 1 Cor 5 or some other issue) and Corinth does not discipline the sinner.
Paul bags the trip and returns to Ephesus (possibly passing through Macedonia?).
Misery
Back in Ephesus, Paul writes a letter "with many tears" exhorting Corinth to deal with the sinner. Titus draws the short straw and is selected to carry the letter to Corinth.
Paul waits for a response from Titus, and is so tormented about the Corinthians that he becomes depressed (7:6) and regrets sending it (7:8).
Paul leaves Ephesus and heads into Macedonia, still waiting for Titus and news of Corinth.
Titus triumphant
Meanwhile, our plucky hero has met with success in Corinth; the Corinthians have punished the sinner (2:6) and he seems to have been repented (as Paul is urging his restoration (2:7,8).
However, all is not well - Titus returns with news of new problems (which Paul addresses in 2 Corinthians).

Section Outline
2:1-2:4 _______________________Paul skipped the visit to avoid more sorrow
 
2:5-2:11 ______________________Forgiveness for the offender
2:5-7 _________________________Restore the offender
 
2:8-11 ________________________Maintain unity

2:12, 13 ______________________Paul's eagerness to hear about Titus

 
Paul's Plea Is Fundamentally For Unity
Paul is willing to lose unity on certain issues
1. Paul urged Church Discipline against the member who sinned; so some things are worth losing unity on Why?
Basically, we lose our grounds for unity otherwise.
 
Christians are united by shared beliefs
- God offers unity to us on certain terms (sin separates us from God)
 
- unity is endangered without selflessness
 

Brooke and I deciding to fight for shared interests...

 
2. Church Discipline - Whether you want to do it or not, you need to at times.
Matt 18:15-20
15. "If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. 16. "But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED. 17. "If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18. "Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. 19. "Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. 20. "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst."

1 Cor 5:1-5 gives 2 reasons for Church Discipline
1. It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father's wife. 2. You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst. 3. For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present. 4. In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5. I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 6. Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?

1. Benefit of the sinner
2. Purity of the church It seems that Paul and the Corinthians had a few instances of church discipline...
 
Also - notice Paul's extreme focus on forgiveness and restoration in 2:8-11

 
Unity means more opportunity for suffering and comfort
Unity means will rejoice or weep when others rejoice or weep.
Paul is in agony because of the Corinthians.
2:2 "for if i cause you sorrow, who then makes me glad but the one whom i made sorrowful?"
2:4 "affliction and anguish of heart i wrote to you with many tears"

We have also seen that Paul speaks of receiving comfort through relationships as he did from Titus (hearing of Corinth's obedience)

 
Suffering and Comfort aren't weakness
Christianity is not asetic - pain is not a sign of weakness.
Care for others means that you will be hurt when they hurt, when they want to hurt you, or when you believe they are hurting themselves.

Compare this with Buddhism :
1. Life means suffering.
2. The origin of suffering is attachment.
3. The cessation of suffering is attainable.
4. The path to the cessation of suffering.


 
Biblical unity is attacked by Satan
A. Recognize that we have a spiritual enemy
Get over your fear of Charismatics and come to grips with the reality of Satan.
Paul consistently reminds the Church of the reality of our spiritual foe.
1 Cor 7:5 Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
Eph 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

 
B. Live to give the devel no opportunity
Eph 4:26,27 Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.
1 Peter 5:8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.