LBC Sermons & Messages

II Corinthians 2: 14-17
There are times in our lives, that are just plain difficult to handle and to go thru. We may be tempted to adopt the attitude of “why fight it”, and decide to just give up. These times are made even more difficult when the affliction is due to personal attacks on you and your character. Paul experienced these types of attacks directed towards him

But, he knew that God was in control of the situation and as such he breaks out in praise and he goes on to describe this victory. A victory that is available to all of God’s people.

It is a victory of unquenchable thanksgiving, “thanks be to God”. It is a grasp of God’s providence that “all things work together for good”, and thanking Him for His provision towards us during these times. The affliction we may be experiencing at the time is not going to stop God’s program thru us.

It is a victory that experiences success and influences those around us, “always leads us in triumph…and thru us spreads the knowledge of Him every where”. Our lives cannot be neutral but must radiate the Glory of God, for others to observe how God comforts and meets our needs in times of trials. Some will be drawn towards God as a result of our influence, other will not. But in any case the Word is being proclaimed by us during these times.

And it is a victory characterized by unimpeachable integrity, “we are not like..but..”. We are not “peddlers” of the Word of God, but our lives are characterized by honesty and holiness. That we are God’s ambassadors and as such we don’t cover up or hide our faults and that we speak in His name with His authority behind us.

Victory is ours, Paul writes in I Cor 15: 57-58 – “Therefore be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor (afflictions) are not in vain”

Genesis 6: 7-22

One of the themes found through out the Word of God, is that God will separate the two classes of people. Read Psalm 37:10-20 and notice the terms used to describes the unrighteous (no more, broken, vanish, perish) and the righteous (inherit the earth, peace, upheld, forever).

Genesis 6-8, describes a time in the past when God did just this. In Genesis 6:7, God announces that judgment is coming due to continual corruption and violence. But God delays execution of this separation to give man time to repent and to avail themselves of God’s vessel of safety, which Noah was building.

During this time of delay, we learn three truths about God concerning judgment.

He is a God of Grace. He viewed all of mankind and He identifies Noah as one His own. For Noah was righteous, blameless (not sinless) and he obeyed God. His seal of protection upon him

He is a God of concern for His own. He informs us of what He is going to do. The creator of the universe, informs His people what His plans are. He tells Noah that He is going to “blot out man”, and He gives detail instructions and plans concerning the ark and how to build it. Noah obeys.

And finally, God is a God of reaching out to man thru the testimony of Noah. For 120 years Noah was a witness to his generation of coming separation.

How does this all play out with us today. God has announced that He is going to return and will deal with evil. In our day, those who have trusted in Christ as their Savior are sealed with the Holy Spirit, identified as belonging to God. We are God’s witnesses to the unbelieving world and also an encouragement to one another as we live in a world filled with corruption and violence.
God will keep His promise to separate us from evil and Genesis 6 is our encouragement and guarantee. He has done it in the past and will do it again

Have you trusted in Christ as your Savior? Are you protected from the coming separation?

Genesis 6:1-8
With sin and wickedness all around us, some wonder if God feels anything, or even cares Some say that if He did, He would surely stop it. Yet sin in the world continues. Why? Does sin bother God or not? A look at Genesis 6, and Noah’s world provides an answer.
We note in the first five chapters of Genesis, three specific truths about God. First that He is sovereign. Secondly, that He is a God of laws, He sets up boundaries for his creation and establishes rules for us to live by. Finally we discover that He is a God willing to redeem.

Back in Noah’s day, men began making a name for themselves in total disregard for God. Jehovah is a God of rules, of boundaries. The Nephilim (”giants” or “men of renown”) crossed God’s boundaries and caused a total breakdown of society as God designed it. (Gen. 6:5)

Note verse 6. “…it grieved him at his heart.” The overwhelming wickedness of man had crossed God’s boundaries. He would stand by no longer. “I will destroy man” (verse 7). God would remedy the wickedness of the world by blotting it out and starting over with Noah,” who was a just man and perfect.” (verse 9) To Noah, God would extend grace and salvation from the destruction.
Today we see the battle again, with the wickedness of the world all around us. When the world goes beyond His boundaries, He will deal with it again. That will be the end times. As believers, we won’t be around for that. We, like Noah, will be saved. But we need to continually be aware of how sin grieves God to His heart. When we sin, we don’t sin alone, or hurt only ourselves. God sees, and it hurts Him. We need to take sin seriously. God does.

II Corinthians 1:1-8
Every man and women ever born has experienced periods of afflictions at various times in their lives. No one is exempt. No one likes it, and as such we have developed ways to try to alleviate the experience. Turn on the TV and we listen to hundred of commercial for drugs to help in these times.
The apostle Paul, was a man accustom to affliction and suffering. Read II Cor 4:8-12; 6:4-10 and Ch 11:23-27. But Paul had a solution, he looked to God who is the source of all comfort
The Biblical word for comfort, means to ‘come along side to help’. The word is often translated as exhortation, encouragement, consolation besides comfort. Note verse 6. Biblical comfort is not a feeling of contentment, not some tranquilizing dose of grace that only dulls the pain BUT a stiffening agent that fortifies our heart, mind and soul. God’s comfort strengthens weak knees and sustains sagging spirits so that we can face the troubles of life with unbending resolve and unending assurance In our text, Paul is thanking God for two reasons for the comfort he has received from God. The first reason, found in verses 4-7, reveals that affliction causes us to develop a strong trust in this God of all comfort. Also it causes us to be able to comfort others going thru their affliction. The second reason, Paul is thanking God is found in verses 8-11. God does deliver us from these affliction. He did with Paul and will do so with us. Note also in verse 11, the great importance of prayer for that one going thru the afflictions
A companion verse for our text is found at II Cor 12:9-10
Dr. Little says this about affliction and comfort. “ Paul wrote that any amount of suffering is worth enduring, for affliction makes God’s people realize that God is the only One on whom we can rely. It is worse to enjoy the comforts of this world and remain deceived. Depending on our selves ultimately leads to destruction, because people cannot rescue themselves from death. If affliction in your life produces nothing more than a fervent dependence on God and a renewed prayer life, then in God’s eyes the affliction may have been well worth the pain”.