Jesus Came and is Coming Again
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 13:1-10
I. Jesus came in weakness to die for your sins.
A. The Apostle Paul had to confront sexual immorality in the church in Corinth (2 Cor. 12:21). Marriage and sex are supposed to be a picture of Jesus’ love for the church. Ephesians 5:31-32: “‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.”
B. Paul had warned those practicing sexual immorality within the church (2 Cor. 13:2). Now, Paul was threatening church discipline to those who would not repent. Verse 1 refers to Matthew 18:16: “If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.” There will be no possibility of repentance when Jesus returns to earth at His second advent. There will only be judgment.
II. Jesus came in power to give you new life.
A. Jesus appeared weak to His enemies when he died on the cross for our sins (vs. 4). But Jesus was not weak. He was resurrected by the power of God (vs. 4). Paul was one of those Christians that Jesus had given new resurrection life to. Paul was a new creation. Before He met Jesus on the road to Damascus one day, Paul hated Jesus. Paul was full of pride in his self-righteousness. But when Paul saw Jesus ruling on the throne of heaven that day, his whole life changed. The proud Paul humbly submitted Himself to Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords.
III. Jesus will come again in power for judgment and salvation.
A. When Jesus comes to earth a second time, He will not come in weakness. He will come in power as the resurrected king to bring judgment to some and salvation to others. Before Christ comes, it would be best for us to follow Paul’s command to “examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith” (vs. 5). How can we test if we are true Christians? 1) Are you obeying the second half of the 10 commandments in Exodus 20:13-16? 2) Generally speaking, are you producing the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23? 3) Are you putting your faith in Jesus alone to save your soul? Galatians 2:16: “yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” 4) Does your heart keep looking to Jesus in love?
Application:
Are you ready for Christ’s second advent? If not, repent and believe the Good News.
Sources:
The Bible
Commentaries by Trent Casto, David Garland, and Gary Millar.
Sermon Discussion Questions
1) What is the connection between Christ’s coming to earth and Paul’s coming to the Corinthian church? How did Jesus and Paul both come in weakness?
2) How did Jesus come in power after His death on the cross? How would Paul come in power to Corinth if the church failed to repent?
3) How can we conduct a spiritual self-examination before Christ returns to determine if we are in the faith? What questions can we ask ourselves to check on our faith?