2 Cor. 08(01–15)

Introduction For much of this letter, Paul has been writing to defend himself and his ministry because it seems that some of the members of the church in Corinth had begun to have their doubts about Paul and his ministry. They were saying Paul couldn't be trusted because he kept changing his travel plans. They … Continue reading 2 Cor. 08(01–15) →

2 Cor. 07(02–16)

Introduction I should really have dealt with verses 2 and 3 and 4 of today's passage last week, because those verses mark the end of one section of Paul's letter. But we ran out of time last week. And the section which they close began way back in 2:14, which we studied in March 2020 … Continue reading 2 Cor. 07(02–16) →

2 Cor. 06(14)–07(01)

Introduction I'm sure you've all heard that the three most important factors in determining the desirability of a house are location, location and location. If a house is in the right location, you'll put up with some of its shortcomings; but if it's in the wrong location, you'll never want to live there. Well, the … Continue reading 2 Cor. 06(14)–07(01) →

2 Cor. 06(03–13)

Paul's appeal At the end of last week's passage, Paul appealed to the people in Corinth to be reconciled to God. Though they were members of the church, believers in Christ, something had come between them and God so that they needed to be reconciled to God all over again. And the reason they needed … Continue reading 2 Cor. 06(03–13) →

Luke 12(13–31) (Harvest 2018)

Introduction Since most of us live in Belfast -- where we're surrounded by buildings and not fields -- we're out of touch with what happens in the countryside. However, when I lived in Co. Kildare, there were members of the churches who were farmers and so I was more familiar with the pressures farmers faced … Continue reading Luke 12(13–31) (Harvest 2018) →

2 Cor. 05(16)–06(02)

Introduction We began to look at this passage last week when we concentrated on verses 11 to 15. And there were really two parts to last week's sermon, because in verses 11 to 13 Paul appealed to his readers in Corinth to defend him and his companions. And then, in verses 14 and 15 he … Continue reading 2 Cor. 05(16)–06(02) →

2 Cor. 05(11–15)

Verses 11 to 13 Have you ever been in this kind of situation. You're in a meeting or you're with a group of people. And some of the people in the group are attacking another person in the group. They're not attacking this person physically, but they're attacking this person verbally. They're criticising him and … Continue reading 2 Cor. 05(11–15) →

2 Cor. 04(16)–05(10)

Introduction I've said several times before that Paul is having to defend his character and his ministry in this letter to the Corinthians. The members of the church which he had planted had begun to doubt him and to criticise him. They had begun to doubt him because he had changed his travel plans more … Continue reading 2 Cor. 04(16)–05(10) →

2 Cor. 04(07–15)

Introduction Paul is having to defend his character and his ministry in this letter to the Corinthians, because the members of the church in Corinth had begun to doubt him and they had begun to criticise him. They criticised his ministry because he didn't seem very impressive to them compared to some of the other … Continue reading 2 Cor. 04(07–15) →

2 Cor. 04(01–06)

Introduction Paul is having to defend his character and his ministry in this letter to the Corinthians, because instead of displaying gratitude to the man who first told them about Jesus Christ the Saviour, they were now ungrateful and critical of him. They were critical of the way he conducted his ministry and he didn't … Continue reading 2 Cor. 04(01–06) →