2 Corinthians 10: People Are Not Your Enemy

The "Las Vegas" of first century Rome has been on a long journey. The Apostle Paul is encouraging them to forgive one another, know who they are in Christ, keep their lives holy, and stay unified.

Overall Theme: Strength in Weakness The God of All Comfort

Strength in weakness. This is the central message of 2 Corinthians. Throughout the letter Paul turns upside down our natural expectations of the way life works. Contrary to the way the world and our own human hearts naturally function, God takes what is low, despised, and weak to accomplish his purposes.

Key Verse God of all Comfort

(2 Corinthians 1:3-4)God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.

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• 0:00 Welcome to Bible Breakdown Podcast

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:02

Hey everyone and welcome to the Bible Breakdown podcast. In this podcast, we will be breaking down the Bible one chapter a day. Whether you are a new believer or have been following Christ for a while, we believe that you will learn something new and fresh every single day. So thank you for joining us and let's get into breaking down the Bible together.

Speaker 2: 0:23

Well, everybody, welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today. 2 Corinthians, chapter 10, and the title of today is People Are Not your Enemy People are not your enemy, to which some of you will be like uh-uh, I got a list of them. I'm not saying that people don't appear to be your enemy, but I want you to think about what's behind those people. For instance, not too long ago, my daughters it was during summer and my daughters got a hold of a water hose. And one of my daughters she's pretty good about understanding boundaries and getting in trouble my other daughter she would rather aggravate than breathe air. Okay, that's just. That is her love language. Is her love language is to aggravate you, not to receive aggravation. Right, so you can tell where this is going. So you've got a water hose and she started thinking that everybody there needed a bath. So she started just spraying everybody. And while she's spraying me, at first I'm like ha, ha, that's not funny. And then after a while, and while she's spraying me, at first I'm like ha, ha, that's not funny. And then after a while we have an issue, like, I need you to stop. Well, when she finished spraying me, I did not one time get mad at the water. I didn't get mad at the hose, I got mad at the one holding the hose of water. And that's what I want you to see.

Speaker 2: 1:41

In this chapter. Paul is actually looking a little bit deeper than we do in some of our conflict and he's saying why are you getting mad at the tool when you should get mad at the source? And that's a powerful thought when we really think about it. We're going to get into that in just a moment, but, as always, if you like what we're doing here, make sure you like, share and subscribe to the YouTube channel. We're on the road to 1,000. We are getting there so quickly. So thank you so much for helping us. Man, I can't wait to see what we can do when we get to that level. Also, if you are listening to the podcast, always, you're my favorite podcast listeners Get over it. No, I'm having some fun, but leave us a five-star review. It helps us a lot.

Speaker 2: 2:16

And then gather with us at the Facebook group at the Bible Breakdown Discussion, where we are just learning about God's Word, one chapter at a time, and it is blessing my soul to see how many of you are taking spiritual next steps, because you're connecting with God's Word and I feel like I'm getting a chance to pastor you in a way, as we are looking at God's Word together, and I love it so, very much. So thank you for giving me this opportunity. It is my honor. All right, get your Bibles and open them with me to 2 Corinthians 10.

Speaker 2: 2:43

Remember that this church has been through a lot. This is the Las Vegas of the first century Roman world. There's all these different people. 1 Corinthians was all about unity in the midst of diversity and some kind of some family therapy there having to come back together again. They've been through a lot and they've repented of their sin and now they need to forgive one another, come back to one another and focus on the real enemy.

Speaker 2: 3:05

The overall theme of 2 Corinthians is God is the God of all comfort, and this one is to realize who the real enemy is. Like I was telling you in the intro that when my daughter was spraying me with that water hose, yes, I was upset at the water, but the water was the vehicle of the aggravation of my daughter. Well, what Paul is going to talk to us about is to realize who the real enemy is. To realize that, yes, those people may have cut us off in traffic, may have broken our heart, may have stolen from us, may have done these different things, but who is controlling them? Who is manipulating them? Hurting people, hurt people, broken people live in a way to not be broken anymore, and the only way they know how to deal with this world is to break other people in order to save themselves. It's not because they're villains. Sometimes, many times, it's because they're broken and they're pushing away other people that many times. It's because they're broken and they're pushing away other people that many times. The problem is not the problem, it's what's behind the problem, and that's what Paul is going to talk about, and I want us to think about this, because, for most of us, that person is not really the one that we should be fighting against.

Speaker 2: 4:19

Let's read this together 2 Corinthians 10, verse 1 says this Now I, paul, appeal to you with the gentleness and kindness of Christ Paul. Every time Paul says I'm going to try to be gentle with you, he's about to open up a can on somebody. So that's just something you need to know about the Apostle Paul. Whenever he says I'm going to be gentle, I'm going to be kind, go ahead and put your helmet on. He's about to beat up on somebody. Here we go. Let's read it again Now. I, paul, appeal to you with gentleness and kindness, though I realize you think I am timid in person and bold only when I write to you from far away. Well, I am begging you now so that when I come I won't have to be bold with those who think that we act from human motives. Here we go, Paul, verse three we are human, but we don't wage war as humans do.

Speaker 2: 5:06

We use God's mighty weapons not worldly weapons to knock down strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ, and after you have become fully obedient, we will punish everyone who remains disobedient. So what he just said was is we're human, but we don't wage war as humans do. So we realize that there's so much going on in the spiritual world that we can't see. So we don't just look at that person who's coming against us. We look at what's behind that person a demonic influence, a stronghold in their life, an evil imagination, a false argument. There's always something behind the thing. So he's like we're not just fighting that person. That person is not my enemy. It's the lie they believe about that. It's the lie that I might believe about that. I might have a false assumption, and so I realized that I'm always fighting from a place of victory. But I'm fighting on two fronts. I'm fighting physically and I'm fighting spiritually. The real fight is the spiritual fight.

Speaker 2: 6:13

Verse 70 says this look at the obvious facts. Those who say they belong to Christ must recognize that we belong to Christ as much as they do. I may seem to be boasting too much about the authority given to us by the Lord, but our authority builds you up, it doesn't tear you down. So I will not be ashamed of using my authority. I'm not trying to frighten you by my letters, for some say Paul's letters are demanding and forceful, but in person he is weak and his speeches are worthless. Those people should realize that our actions when we arrive in person will be as forceful as what we say in our letters from far away. So what he's doing is he's saying these people with all their bad things, those are the problem Are the words? What's behind those words? So we're going to deal with that. It's not the people, it's the claims that they're making.

Speaker 2: 7:04

Verse 12. Oh, don't worry, we wouldn't dare say that we are as wonderful as these other men who tell you how important they are, but they are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement. How ignorant, how ignorant. Verse 13. We will not boast about the things done outside our area of authority. We will only boast about the things that has happened within the boundaries of the work that God has given us, which includes our working with you. We are not reaching beyond these boundaries when we claim authority over you as if we had never visited you, for we are the first to travel all the way to Corinth with the good news of Christ. Nor do we boast and claim credit for the work someone else has done. Instead, we hope that your faith will grow so that your boundaries of our work among you will be extended. Then we will be able to go and preach the good news in other places, far beyond you, where no one else is working, and preach the good news in other places far beyond you, where no one else is working. Then there will be no question of our boasting about the work done in someone else's territory. As the scriptures say, if you want to boast, boast only about the Lord. When people commend themselves, it doesn't count for much. The important thing is for the Lord to commend them.

Speaker 2: 8:25

In other words, paul is saying there's a whole lot of people saying a whole lot of things, but the weapons that we wage are not carnal. In other words, I'm not going to sit here and go tit for tat with them. I'm not going to fuss with them, I'm not going to fight with them, because I know what's behind them. I know that there is a spirit of confusion. There's these different things where the enemy is trying to create division, and so I'm not going to mess with these people. They're just pawns being used by the enemy. And here's the thing there's times when we become pawns of the enemy, when we get wrapped up in gossip and dissension and backbiting and all the different things. And so what Paul is saying is I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to sit here and fuss and fight with him. I'm going to see the enemy that's behind them and I'm going to declare victory. I'm going to keep on doing what I know how to do and that's how it's going to work, because here's one of the things, is one of the things we got to think about.

Speaker 2: 9:19

When the enemy comes to attack us, we really have one of three things we can do. Number one is we can get afraid and run away. That's not the right one. Number two is we can just stop working for the Lord and bind every spirit all the time and just cast out and just bind, bind, bind. We're always in this warfare mentality and we never actually take ground because we're so busy fighting. Can I tell you, to a certain extent that's fine with the enemy, because if you're so busy being preoccupied with him, you can't ever actually move forward in God. So if the enemy can't make you bad, he'll just make you busy.

Speaker 2: 9:53

The third one is to say you know what, in the name of Jesus, I am not going to come against the person, I'm going to come against the spirit of the person and I'm going to move forward. And that's how you take ground. That's what Paul said. I'm going to move forward and that's how you take ground. That's what Paul said. I'm just going to realize that this is not them, this is the enemy, and I'm going to move forward. And when you begin to see that we don't live in a position where we're fighting for victory but fighting from victory, then life begins to take on a whole new meaning. We're not living in a warfare mentality, from a position of not sure we're living in a warfare mentality, but that we've already received the victory. And so we're taking ground as a conquering army of God not as one that's not so sure and when we begin to realize the authority that we have through Christ and for his good purposes, then we start to realize that God truly is the God of all comfort.

Speaker 2: 10:42

So my question for you today is are you running from the enemy?

Speaker 2: 10:46

Are you spending all of your time battling the enemy, or are you realizing that victory is already yours? So you bind the devil in Jesus name, but then you move forward? I want you to think on that. And if you're in a position where you find yourself constantly running and fighting and fearful and all of that, the Bible says God has not given us a spirit of fear and intimidation, but of power, love and of a sound mind. So maybe your prayer today is the music is going to start in just a moment of reflection. Is God help me to have more confidence in where I stand and in who I am in you.

Speaker 2: 11:21

Maybe you're the person who's always on that warpath. You're always binding the devil in Jesus' name and I'm not against that, but it's just. Do you find yourself only fighting, then what may be happening is the enemy is always just throwing things at you, because if he can keep you busy then he can stop you from actually moving forward into that freedom. So maybe your prayer needs to be for the third one. God, I pray you will help me to understand who I am in you, to the point that I stop giving in to all the tricks of the enemy and I start taking ground in Jesus name. That is the key to victory is to realize the enemy doesn't belong in the same universe as my Jesus and your Jesus. So when I stand on the authority of Christ, no enemy can stand against him.

Speaker 2: 12:04

And because we are his, that authority has been given to us. Let's pray together. God, thank you so much for today. Thank you for your goodness and your mercy. I pray that everybody who is listening or watching this podcast, lord, that you will invest and help them know who they are in you. Lord, the most powerful thing in the universe is a Christ follower who knows who they are in you, because then their power comes from you and you truly are the most powerful thing ever, and when we connect with you and you start to move through us, nothing is impossible because of you, and we're thankful for that and that you are the God of all comfort. In Jesus' name, we pray Amen. Don't forget God's word. It says in 2 Corinthians 1,. God is the source of all comfort and he comforts us in all of our troubles so that we can comfort others. Who do you need to share this with today? So that they can be comforted the way you were comforted? No-transcript.