Message of the Week

The Little White Community Church

Scripture: II Cor. 13: 11-14                 

July 21, 2024

Message: “Being Outfitted to Please Jesus!”

by Pastor George Gnade

Intro.: 1. Today we come to my last message in the Book of II Corinthians.

a. It was a rich church that had to learn not to be a worldly church. Like us, Corinth was in a sexually alluring city that enjoyed all the pleasures of the flesh.

b. They were also a divided church that needed to reunite in Christ. 

2. The Books of I and II Corinthians covered all of this and more.  So how was Paul supposed to finish what he had to say? To begin with, he simply said “farewell.”  We might have said: “Goodbye for now!”

3. Then in a few words he summarized what he had said. After all, sometimes that is what is remembered the longest.  Let us consider his last few words this morning.

A. In II Cor. 13: 11, he begins by saying: “Aim at perfection!”

1. Other translations simply say “Be perfect.”  How can anyone be perfect? The secret, of course, is found in Jesus. 

The Greek word for perfection actually means to be “outfitted” like Christ. 

a. In Rom. 13:14, Paul wrote: “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh.”

b. Yes, in Christ we are perfect, and at the same time we are called to become like Christ, to do what He did and live the way He has asked us to live. 

2. If I could reword this, Paul is saying to aim at the goal of being the kind of person Jesus wants you to be.

a. Like target practice, trying to hit the mark, so we are to aim at the mark of dressing up like Jesus, perfectly outfitted for wherever we go. 

b. The Bible calls this “sanctification.”  We may never do it perfectly, but it is amazing how often God will use our feeble efforts to accomplish His purposes.

B. Secondly, Paul writes in vs. 13: “Listen to my appeal.”

1. All of us ask God to help us over and over again. Jesus asks us to listen to Him and apply what He is teaching us.

Paul was speaking in behalf of Jesus. 

a. Accepting correction is necessary for spiritual growth to go forward. We can easily see the faults in others. It is harder to see the faults in ourselves. 

b. In Proverbs, we are told that just “as iron sharpens iron,” so we are to keep learning and growing in Christ. 

2. For example, Paul wrote I Cor. 13: 4-7. It is God’s definition of love. It reminds us not to be covetous of others. It says: “Love does not keep a record of wrongs.”

a. Yet Americans are easily tempted by what others have.  And I know many Christians who are still holding grudges for things that happened a long time ago. 

b. Listening to what God says will help us grow in Christ and become more useful to Christ.

3. And so Paul wrote: “Listen to my appeal.” God’s Word is not supposed to go in one ear and out the other. God wants us to apply what He says to our lives.

C.  Thirdly, Paul wrote in vs.11: “Be of one mind!”

1. Paul wanted them to learn to work together. A divided church rarely is a growing church. Sometimes we must agree to disagree for the sake of Christ.

2. I have a friend who is also a pastor. His philosophy is to walk together with fellow Christians as far as he can.  In plain words, instead of concentrating on what divides us, he concentrates on what unites us. He keeps asking the question: What can we accomplish together that we can’t accomplish alone?

3. But there is another important way to determine how far we can work together. In fact, Paul wrote about it in I Cor. 2: 17. It says: “The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment.”  Why? Because “we have the mind of Christ!”

a. The Holy Spirit has the mind of Christ. When Jesus comes into our hearts, He gives us the mind of Christ. 

b. When we become Christians, He also gives us the Bible to guide us. Before dying on the cross for us, Jesus prayed: “Sanctify them by the truth.  Thy Word is truth” (John 17: 17).

4. So we have two ways in which God seeks to teach us the truth. He uses the Bible and the Holy Spirit in our hearts. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can learn the truth and seek to live by the truth.

a. Even with help of the Holy Spirit and the Bible, sometimes Christians still don’t come to the same conclusions.  

b. Many times that is because one person does not know what the Bible actually says. Other times he does know but chooses not to believe what it says. 

5. So in situations where you do not agree, read the passages together to make sure you both know what the Bible says. Make sure you are comparing “apples with apples.”  If you still can’t agree, then each person will be held accountable by God. 

a. Now the Bible is a big book. Sometimes Christians don’t agree on what it says or means. Then you have to decide if this is a minor issue or a major issue. 

b. In plain words, you must decide how far you can walk together. 

6. For the sake of Christ, we should work together as much as we can.

D. Which brings us to the last admonition from Paul. He wrote in II Cor. 13:11, “Live in peace and the God of love and peace will be with you.”

1. In Ps. 34: 14, it says: “Seek peace and pursue it.”  Don’t get into a big argument over issues. Speak kindly. Let the rest up to God. 

2. In Rom. 12: 18, Paul wrote: “If at all possible, as much as it depends on you, live at peace with all men.”  

In conclusion: 1. Paul ends this book with one of the most popular benedictions in the Bible. I use it quite often. 

2. He writes: “Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God our Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen!

3. That is a good way for us to end also.