ll CORINTHIANS LESSON 14

     We will begin this lesson in II Corinthians 11:16 "I say again,
Let no man think me a fool; if otherwise, yet as a fool receive me,
that I may boast myself a little."

     Boast, seems to be the prominent word in the last few chapters
including this chapter. It seems to me that it is very painful to Paul
to have to defend himself. Paul has already mentioned that he thought
it foolish to boast. This boasting is in defense of his character.

     II Corinthians 11:17 "That which I speak, I speak [it] not after
the Lord, but as it were foolishly, in this confidence of boasting."

     Paul is not speaking for the Lord here, but for himself. Paul
will be sure to give his things that he has suffered for the Lord to
prove who and what he is about.

     II Corinthians 11:18 "Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I
will glory also."

     This boasting is a fleshly thing in answer to the boasting of the
new teacher who has stirred them up against Paul.

     II Corinthians 11:19 "For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye
[yourselves] are wise."

     Paul is saying, you are so intelligent that you listen to fools
gladly.  This is really saying to them that their judgement of
character is not what it should be.

     II Corinthians 11:20 "For ye suffer, if a man bring you into
bondage, if a man devour [you], if a man take [of you], if a man exalt
himself, if a man smite you on the face."

     The new teachers, it seems, were putting them under great
bondage. It seems they had these Corinthians so convinced they were
right, that they would put up with most anything from these new
teachers.

     II Corinthians 11:21 "I speak as concerning reproach, as though
we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak
foolishly,) I am bold also."

     Paul says, I may have appeared to you as weak, but if you want
boldness, I can be bold, also.

     II Corinthians 11:22 "Are they Hebrews? so [am] I. Are they
Israelites? so [am] I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so [am] I."

     Here, again, we see Paul being all things to all men, that by all
means he might save some. If they claim they are a Hebrew, they have
nothing on Paul. He is a Hebrew. Paul always reminded the Israelites
that he was not only an Israelite, but a Pharisee of the Pharisees.
All believers in Christ are seed of Abraham.

     II Corinthians 11:23 "Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a
fool) I [am] more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure,
in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft."

     "Fool" means insane in verse 23. Paul is saying, that it is
insane to speak this way. Paul, in comparing himself to these teachers
who have come against him, says that he is a better minister. He has
labored harder than them all. He had been imprisoned most of the time
he was ministering. In Rome, he was under house arrest and yet
ministered regularly. He had been beaten, and stoned, and even left
for dead. Paul was reminding him the suffering he had endured for the
sake of the gospel. I am sure this rejection hurt him more than all
the beatings.

     II Corinthians 11:24 "Of the Jews five times received I forty
[stripes] save one."

     Jesus had told Paul in the beginning that he would show him what
great things he would suffer for him. These beatings were just one of
these things he suffered. Forty stripes was thought to be too much,
and a man would die.

     II Corinthians 11:25 "Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I
stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in
the deep;"

     We know that Paul was shipwrecked on the way to Rome to be heard
of Caesar. All of these things, Paul gladly endured to be able to
bring the gospel message to the lost world.

     II Corinthians 11:26  "[In] journeyings often, [in] perils of
waters, [in] perils of robbers, [in] perils by [mine own] countrymen,
[in] perils by the heathen, [in] perils in the city, [in] perils in
the wilderness, [in] perils in the sea, [in] perils among false
brethren;"

     From the time that Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus and the
time he was killed in Rome, Paul travelled widely in missionary
journeys. On one of these journeys, he established the church at
Corinth that this letter was written to. Paul was hated by the Jews,
and they followed him and tried to kill him. The Christians, here at
Corinth, it appeared were turning against Paul and the Romans finally
kill Paul. This is not exaggeration that he is speaking.

     II Corinthians 11:27 "In weariness and painfulness, in watchings
often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and
nakedness."

     Paul had gone right on ministering in the face of all these
troubles. He ministered many times immediately after he had been
beaten or stoned. He and Silas were praying and singing at midnight in
the prison. He went on, weary or not. Paul gave no thought at all for
the physical handicaps he faced. He went right on ministering. He
learned to be content whatever state he found himself in at the time.

     II Corinthians 11:28 "Beside those things that are without, that
which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches."

     Paul could pretty well endure the hardships from without, but it
truly hurt him when the very churches he had started were against him.
Paul dearly loved all the churches he had begun. He loved them as a
parent loves a child. He felt responsible for the churches he had
begun. This is the very reason he wrote this letter. All pastors who
begin a work are always concerned for that church staying true to the
teachings it began with.

     II Corinthians 11:29 "Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is
offended, and I burn not?"

     Paul felt every problem right along with them. Their troubles
were his troubles, too. He loved them and wanted things to go right
for them. If one part of the body suffers, the whole body suffers.

     II Corinthians 11:30 "If I must needs glory, I will glory of the
things which concern mine infirmities."

     They have forced Paul to glory. He does not like to glory at all.
He says, if I must glory, I will glory in my infirmities. Many church
people of our day would say that Paul was not right with God or he
would not have had these problems. My Bible says exactly the opposite.
II Timothy 2:12 "If we suffer, we shall also reign with [him]: if we
deny [him], he also will deny us:"

     II Corinthians 11:31 "The God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not."

     Really, this is the only One that it is important to know that he
is not telling anything false. When the final judgement comes, it will
not matter what man thinks of you. It will be very important what God
knows about you.

     II Corinthians 11:32 "In Damascus the governor under Aretas the
king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to
apprehend me:"

     It seemed as though it was not just the religious leaders of
Paul's day who had tried to destroy him, but some of the rulers of
which we read of one here. Historians believe the man mentioned here
was the father-in-law of Herod.

     II Corinthians 11:33 "And through a window in a basket was I let
down by the wall, and escaped his hands."

     Paul is just telling of one of the many times when he escaped
from prison. The letting down with the basket means that someone
helped Paul escape. Probably, it was his Christian friends.
                     ll Corinthians 14 Questions


1.  In verse 16 Paul says, let no man think me a _______.
2.  What has been the prominent word in the last few lessons?
3.  In verse 17 Paul says, this is not God speaking, but whom?
4.  Many glory after the _______.
5.  What is Paul saying to them in verse 19?
6.  How were the new teachers treating them?
7.  Paul had appeared to them as weak, but he could be ______.
8.  What 3 things did Paul say he was in verse 22?
9.  All believers in Christ are ________ of Abraham.
10. What does "fool" mean in verse 23?
11. Where was most of Paul's ministering done?
12. Where did Paul minister in Rome?
13. Of all things, what hurt Paul the worst?
14. How many times had Paul received 40 stripes save one?
15. How many times was he shipwrecked?
16. What were most of Paul's journeys for?
17. Who kill Paul?
18. What problems of Paul are mentioned in verse 27.
19. Who was in prison with Paul when they prayed at midnight?
20. What kind of love did Paul have for the churches he started?
21. What did Paul glory of?
22. Who did Paul say, knew that he did not lie?
23. Who do historians say, this is speaking of in verse 32?
24. What did they use to let Paul down the wall?