Our Life is a Sign!
II Corinthians 12:11-21
A sportscaster said, that for him, the start of the Indianapolis 500 was the most spectacular event in all of sports.
To see 33 low-slung, sleek, turbo charged cars roaring around turn 4
and zooming across the starting line at 200 miles per hour
to start the world’s most famous race, is an incredible event.
Thirty-three cars start the race, but not all finish.
In one race, only 11 cars actually finished.
Two thirds of the cars were knocked out by either a wreck or some kind of mechanical failure.
In some instances, something as minor as the failure of a $1.00 bolt forced a car out of the race.
As impressive as the start is, the important part of the race is finishing.
The financial rewards and honors don’t go to those who start well, but to those who finish well.
So the driver and the pit crew are constantly watching gauges and evaluating the performance
of the car so they can prevent a breakdown
and still get every ounce of speed they can out of the car.
Many people who start in the Christian life don't finish.
One of the saddest characters in the Bible is Solomon.
He began his life with Nobel motives,
but he wrecked along the way in indulgence and compromise.
In the New Testament, Paul spoke of a former co-worker by the name of Demas,
who dropped out of the race:
“...Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me...” (II Tim. 4:10).
Jesus said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).
It’s not enough to start the Christian life well.
We must plan to finish well.
The reward is not given at the beginning, but in the end.
Revelation 2:10 says, “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
In I Corinthians 3:3, Paul addressed the Corinthians as “worldly” Christians.
The word translated worldly really means “fleshly.”
It’s the word the King James translators rendered carnal.
These carnal Christians were selfish;
they wanted blessing without sacrifice;
they wanted power without restraint.
They were more concerned about the things of the world,
than they were the things of the Spirit,
the temporal more than the eternal,
the physical more than the spiritual.
So Paul warned them about regressing in the Christian life.
In II Corinthians 12, he had to warn them again.
This time, he mentioned four telltale signs of a carnal Christian.
When you see these characteristics developing in your own life, beware!
If you don’t make adjustments, it could be just a matter of time
before you’re setting on the sidelines watching others,
and wondering what in the world happened to your marriage,
your family, your spiritual life.
I. A Lack of Appreciation for Spiritual Leaders. (First sign of a carnal Christian)
Paul said, “I have made a fool of myself.”
He was talking about having to go back and list his credentials.
Don’t you feel a little foolish when you make out a resume or you have to brag on yourself?
If you don’t, you should.
Paul said, “I have made a fool of myself, but you drove me to it. I ought to have been commended by you, for I am not in the least inferior to the ‘super-apostles,’ even though I am nothing” (II Cor. 12:11).
They should have commended Paul.
He was humble man.
All the time he had labored among them,
he had never bragged about himself
or thrown his weight around.
He was humble, and they took him for granted.
Paul was really a powerful man.
“The things that mark an apostle: signs, wonders and miracles, were done among you with great perseverance” (II Cor. 12:12).
One of the signs of being an apostle was the ability to perform miracles,
to heal people,
raise the dead,
speak in languages that the speaker had never studied,
and foretell the future.
Paul had done all those signs among them, and he had done them consistently.
Paul was also generous.
He had served the Corinthian church without demanding a salary.
“I was never a burden to you” he said (II Cor. 12:13).
Other churches that Paul had started supported him financially,
but he labored in Corinth without taking up any love offerings.
Paul didn’t want to be burden to them,
he didn’t want anyone, in that totally pagan society, to think that he was in it for the money.
Paul was loving.
“Now I am ready to visit you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not your possessions but you” (II Cor. 12:14).
They could not accuse Paul of exploiting them.
He loved them and he treated them with integrity.
He said the reason he didn’t take up an offering was that he felt like their spiritual parent.
“Children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children” (II Cor. 12:14).
When we would take our kids out to eat or to a an amusement park, I don’t expect them to pay.
I am the parent and I will take care of the needs of my children.
However, I do expect them to be grateful.
Paul said, “I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well. If I love you more, will you love me less?” (II Cor. 12:15).
Instead of appreciating Paul, the Corinthians had taken him for granted.
They suggested he wasn’t really good enough to be paid.
They were giving all kinds of complements to false apostles and were taking Paul for granted.
That’s one of the signs of carnality.
How many Christians today take others in the Church for granted?
How many take their Sunday-school teachers,
elder’s,
deacon’s,
church staff,
spiritual parents,
musicians,
and many others for granted?
Never giving a word of encouragement,
and yet expecting that they will always fulfill their responsibilities.
And when they don’t, these same people are the first to criticize.
One of the characteristics of spiritual maturity
is an appreciation for the people who have contributed to your life.
The Messengers Quartet at the Southland Christian Church in Lexington, Kentucky,
had sung almost every Sunday morning for 28 years.
For 28 years they have practiced every week and presented a quartet number during the offering.
One of their members was diagnosed with cancer,
and the congregation wanted to show their appreciation for this mans dedication and service.
They gave him and his wife a free cruise to the Caribbean.
But when the time came to go, he was to sick.
They asked him what they could give him instead, and he said,
“I would like the number-one gospel quartet in America to come and sing at Southland.”
That was the Cathedrals Quartet.
At that time it cost the church people $4,000.
But they brought the Cathedrals in and had a wonderful concert.
It was there means of expressing their love to a man
who had contributed to their spiritual life for so many years.
The Bible says that we are to give honor to whom honor is due (Rom. 13:7).
One of the signs of a carnal attitude is a lack of appreciation
for the humble spiritual people who labor among you.
II. Suspicious of other people's motives. (Second sign of a carnal Christian)
The Corinthians had not only taken Paul for granted, they were impugning his motives.
They were accusing Paul of being deceptively humble.
They suggested that he had refused support from them because, in the end,
he was going to take up an offering for the poor in Jerusalem
and he would probably pocket a great deal of the money for himself.
Paul was annoyed with them for such infantile pettiness.
He responded to them sarcastically,
“Crafty fellow that I am, I caught you by trickery! Did I exploit you through any of the men I sent you? I urged Titus to go to you and I sent our brother with him. Titus did not exploit you, did he? Did we not act in the same spirit and follow the same course.” (IICor. 12:16-18).
However, there were still those at Corinth who suspected the worst from Paul.
There are carnal Christians today who are immediately suspicious of everybody.
“Well, that singing group came in and they really milked us. They’re just in it for the money.”
“That missionary is a con man. I bet he’s over there taking a vacation at our expense.”
“Yeah, that guy stopped by and said he needed money for something to eat. I’ll bet he’s out drinking it up right now.”
“Yeah, the preachers on an ego trip, you can tell by his expression.”
“She’s singing because she loves to strut up front.”
Now, we have to admit that there are con artists in the church;
there are people on ego trips;
there are people who exploit or take advantage.
Which means, ee need to be alert and aware, and we shouldn’t be naive.
But if our first reaction to people and what they are doing is always suspicion,
if we’re skeptical of everyone,
if we’re cynical about everything that goes on,
that's a sign of carnality.
Paul says in I Corinthians 13:7, “Love always...trusts.”
We need to be looking for the best in people.
Not only is it a sign of carnality to see the worst, but sometimes it’s a sign of stupidity.
A tough-minded manager walked through his shipping department and saw a young man lounging on a shipping crate, almost asleep.
He said, “Young man, what do you make a week?”
“I make $150.00 a week.”
The manager took $150 out of his wallet and gave it to the boy.
“Now get out of here and don’t come back,” he said.
Then he went directly to the head of the department and demanded,
“Who hired that young man?”
“Nobody,” the supervisor said, “He’s just a delivery boy waiting for a package..”
If you’re skeptical of everybody,
you may think that shows your intelligence and sophistication,
but it could be a sign of carnality and stupidity.
Our attitude as Christians should be that people are innocent until proven guilty.
“To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted” (Titus 1:15).
If you always suspect the worst in people,
it may be that your own heart and mind are corrupted.
William Barclay repeats a story from H.L. Gee
“of a tramp who came begging to a good woman’s door.”
“She went to get something to give him and found that she had no change at all in the house. She went to him and told him, “I have not a penny of small change. I need a loaf of bread. Here is a pound note. Go and buy the loaf and bring be back the change and I will give you something.”
The man executed the commission and returned and she gave him a small coin. He took it with tears in his eyes. “It’s not the money,” he said, “it’s the way you trusted me. No one ever trusted me like that before, and I can’t thank you enough.”
Barclay says,
“It’s easy to say that the woman took a risk that only a soft-hearted fool would take, but she gave that man more than money; she had given him something of herself by giving her trust.”
Do you trust people?
You’re going to be taken on occasion.
But I’d rather be taken once in a while than to go through life
cynical, suspicious, fearing that everyone is out to get me.
To the pure, all things are pure.
To the carnal, all motives are questionable.
Our life really is a sign, a sign that tells what kind of person we are.
A sign that others can read, including God.
What does your sign say today?
If you fail to appreciate those around you in the church who are serving the Lord,
if you are always suspicious or skeptical of what others in the church are doing and why,
then your sign reads "Carnal."
Which means that your spiritual life is a wreck.
How can you finish the race if your life is a wreak?
How can you serve Christ, if your spiritual life is a wreak?
How can you have a meaningful marriage or family life if you spiritual life is a wreck?
If you have allowed a lack of appreciation and suspicion of others
to wreak your life spiritually,
then your life no longer has meaning or purpose.
But there is hope.
Like a race car driver that wrecks during the race, there is help to found in the pits.
There the pit crew will quickly repair the damage
and get your car back out on into the race once again.
Jesus Christ can do even better than that,
He can make your brand new.
He can forgive your sins
if you will only confess them.
And then He will wash you in His cleansing blood
making you brand new all over again.
Jesus can change the sign of your life,
so that when people look upon you they see Jesus!