Toronto Alliance Church

Lessons From a Thorn: 2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Paul talks about a beautiful vision the Lord gave him of heaven. He talks about how the revelations from this vision were so great that, in order to prevent him from becoming proud, a thorn was given to him in the flesh. The meaning of the Greek word for "thorn" is "stake." Paul felt like this was something being driven through him. It caused him great suffering, and not for a short period of time. For 14 years, he dealt with the pain and suffering this thorn caused. Now, we do not know what the thorn was. What we do know from the Word of God is that this thorn caused great suffering in Paul's life. I believe there is a lot we can learn as we look at how Paul handled this thorn, which caused suffering in his life. I have titled the message this morning, "Lessons from a Thorn." Extra reading: Isaiah 40:27-31 Preacher: Graeme Ramgobin

The Fingerprints of God 10: Unmasking Deception - 2 Corinthians 11:1-33

Have you ever been tricked? I have, because I believe people. And I'm very compassionate. People come to our door, and I believe them. If you have any kind of electronic device, you know about scammers. Some, you think, "Well, that's just ridiculous," but with others, you really have to look and study. It's getting more and more tricky to figure out what's true and what's false. On an even greater level, this happens among God's people, and it has all through our history. The impact there is way greater than any scammer who might nab a few thousand dollars from you. We're walking through 2 Corinthians, looking for God's fingerprints. The context of this book is that people came into the church and were drawing people away from Christ. Near the close of the letter, Paul goes on for a chapter and a half unmasking deceivers. As much as we like to be forward-looking in our lives, it's good to think about unmasking deception and making sure that we don't get tricked. Extra reading: Ezekiel 13:1-9 Preacher: Bill Dyck

The Fingerprints of God 9: Recognizing the Fingerprints of God - 2 Corinthians 10:1-18

Every person, even identical twins, has different fingerprints. When the police come upon a crime scene, they are looking for these little invisible impressions. If they find them, they can say, "That is who was here." Wherever God works, he leaves impressions behind, so we can know that it is God who is at work and not someone else, because other impressions are very different. The Bible says, in latter days many will 'come in my name, and they will claim, "I am the Christ," and they will lead many astray.' It says they will come with signs and wonders, and will lead astray, if possible, even those who know him. Jesus warns, "See that you are not led astray." Part of that is recognizing the fingerprints of God. Signs and wonders alone are not enough, because the others have those too. The question is, how do you recognize the fingerprints of God? You cannot study his hand or go up to him. I am in 2 Corinthians 10 today, and I want to talk about recognizing the fingerprints of God. Extra reading: Jeremiah 8:4-12 Preacher: Bill Dyck

The Fingerprints of God 8: What Your Money Can Really Do - 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

In the downtown, there has been a huge increase in wealth over 20 years, and a growing separation between those who have wealth and the poor. You would think people would be doing better, but that is not what the studies show. What has also increased is credit card debt and household debt. So even though people have more money coming in, their indebtedness has increased more. What has almost disappeared is the idea of charitable giving or generosity, which is odd because usually we think that people who have more give more. That is not at all the case. Many of those who have a lot give nothing and are swimming under great debt, to the point that they are very fearful. Today I want to make a pitch for another use of money. It is what we see in Scripture, and it is fair game to talk openly about it because Scripture talks about it. I want to talk about what your money can really do. Extra reading: Genesis 14:17-24 Preacher: Bill Dyck

The Fingerprints of God 7: How To Be Generous - 2 Corinthians 8:1-15

We are a very style-conscious generation, and especially a style-conscious city. I grew up in the rural areas of Ontario. That was not the case. When I moved to the city, I became quite aware that wearing clothes becomes the fine art of making a statement. As I look at the passage I want to speak from, there is a style that accompanies the follower of Jesus. I do not mean clothing. I mean there is a style of life that accompanies the Christ follower, and that is called generosity. I want to talk about that from 2 Corinthians 8, in our sermon series, as we go through the book of 2 Corinthians, called "The Fingerprints of God". Extra reading: Ruth 2:1-16 Preacher: Bill Dyck