Sunday Sermon | The Life Cycle of Encouragement | 2 Corinthians | Part 2

Sunday Sermon | The Ministry of Reconciliation | 2 Corinthians | Part 9

Please join us as Pastor Patrick Joyner continues the series on 2 Corinthians. 2 Corinthians 5:11-21. Our attention may be drawn to three primary themes in this passage. First is the fear of the Lord; the centerpiece of what compels Paul to confidently go forward in Christ. The fear of God must have more to do with God’s people than simply that He doesn’t care what we do and loves us no matter what. The reality is that redemption in Christ results in a new creation, a noticeable change. Are we concerned about the Father’s displeasure of our own sinfulness even though we are redeemed? If we feel a sense of freedom in our sinfulness, then we have misunderstood and diminished the love of Christ and the fear of the Lord because it is not acting as a counterbalance for a holy life. Second, Christ’s love for the redeemed. Paul’s understanding of Christ’s love for him enables Paul to holdfast, stay on task, and to endure all things. The Lord’s joy in His people is our strength. Paul recognized that the Lord Jesus died for him. He died for you. We become inclined to diminish the gift and life of Christ if we think of our redemption in unbiblical terms, as an abstract mass of people; but redemption is very personal. If we don’t view the love of Christ in a personal way, it could never counterbalance a life of faithfulness. The love of Christ compels us. It changes us. We are a new creation. We no longer look at people according to the flesh and a right understanding of this will change the way we act. Thirdly, the glory of new life through being reconciled to Christ. When one becomes a new creation in Christ, everything around them will also change. A life in Christ is a constant source of blessing and encouragement. God is pleading for us to come to Christ and freely receive new life.

Sunday Sermon | Why the Apostle had Good Courage: A Confident Longing for His Heavenly Home | 2 Corinthians | Part 8

Please join us as Pastor Patrick Joyner continues the series on 2 Corinthians. 2 Corinthians 5:1-11. Heaven is a place of holiness, happiness, and humility. If we would be ready for heaven, these are the things the apostle Paul would encourage us to recognize. Light, momentary afflictions are integrated into our lives by God’s design for spiritual growth in ourselves and for encouraging others. The Christian life isn’t about avoiding difficulty, the Christian life is shaped by difficulty. In our temporal bodies, we groan as we drag along remnants of our sinful flesh. The point isn’t a discouraging look at redemption but to see there is a profound difference between our earthly tent and the building in heaven. One of the challenges of our lives is spiritual self awareness. What is it that you are really hoping? Paul is helping us to understand the importance of continually having our affections shaped. If we have a wrong perception of the Christian life then we will not realize that we should be encouraged at the way the Spirit is working, that our experiences can be explained spiritually and we can press on and be joyful, not being hampered by temporal, fleeting hindrances to faithfulness. The weight of the normal, Christian life has as its only counterbalance the day of the lord. The redeemed should be fanatically joyful about a future in heaven, but the urgency of the last day should absolutely impact every moment of our lives as we aim to please the Lord.

Sunday Sermon | God’s Method in Ministry | 2 Corinthians | Part 7

Please join us as Pastor Patrick Joyner continues the series on 2 Corinthians. 2 Corinthians 4:7-15. In verses 7-15, we see the challenge of being depleted as the Corinthians give their lives to Christ and the challenges that occur in a normal gospel ministry. In gospel ministry, the minister is in the background as the servant, proclaiming Jesus Christ. The point isn’t simply that humanity is diminished in the glory of Christ but that the gospel not only does in fact glorify Christ but also simultaneously intentionally deals with the pride and conceit of man. The gospel is accentuated in this sinful earth by placing it in something so mundane - a common earthen vessel. The treasure inside is the light of the knowledge of the glory of God. Why clay pots? Because the surpassing value belongs to God, not to us. He is the one with power and glory. Humans have trouble wholly exalting another but the reality is that biblical servanthood is about directing attention to God. We are not to accentuate the clay pot; we are to accentuate Christ. Giving faithfully, in gospel labor, will always physically deplete the giver to some extent. Gospel ministry is not about personal gain but His glory.

Sunday Sermon | What is Gospel Ministry? | 2 Corinthians | Part 6

Please join us as Pastor Patrick Joyner continues the series on 2 Corinthians. 2 Corinthians 4:1-6. Paul is regaling on the goodness of the Lord Jesus Christ. He affirms his weakness and his being in the shadow of the Lord Jesus. It is the weakness of men in which the glory of God is most profoundly shown. Our outer shells are wasting away but the gospel of Christ grows our inner being in grace. Therefore, we do not lose heart. We have unsinkable buoyancy during these light, momentary afflictions because the gospel isn’t about us; Jesus Christ is central. The amazing thing about this gospel is we are the ones who benefit from the preeminence of the Lord Jesus. We are His servants - do we look at ourselves in this way? The gospel ministry is a profound valuation of that which is unseen. As we grow in the image of the Lord Jesus, we should more highly value spiritual growth in Christ. The history of the Christian church is the result of faithful ministry where Jesus Christ is lord and we present ourselves as servants. Giving out the light of Christ is an incredible privilege we would do well to be reminded of.

Sunday Sermon | The Beatific Vision | 2 Corinthians | Part 5

Please join us as Pastor Patrick Joyner continues the series on 2 Corinthians. 2 Corinthians 3:1-18. The Lord Jesus Christ is more glorious and brighter than the sun - the beatific vision. Something both beautiful and breathtaking, drawing a permanent gaze from us as something transformative in our lives. One particularly important thing we can draw from this passage is the concept of a living ministry. There is not only one covenant, there are two and the one was only a delivery vessel for the second, the permanent convent of the Lord Jesus Christ. The other, that we see in verse 18, is the idea that we behold the face of Christ and are being transformed now. As we grow in holiness, the Lord reveals more of Himself to us and we enter into deeper communion with God.