Are you Pure for your Groom?- 2 Cor. 11:1-15

Intro
One thing I really appreciate about our wedding is that when I stood at the altar, I had total confidence that my bride stood pure in her faithfulness and commitment to me. While we were dating, I knew she wanted to present herself pure to husband when she stood at the altar one day. I had 100% confidence that she was at least pure in the sense that there was no other guy in her life but me. Not that I’m self confident and cocky, but she never gave me a reason to question her love for me. She never flirted with any other guys, or for a second gave any other guy even a hope of being unfaithful to me. I love that.
Paul wants to Present the Corinthians pure before Christ (v. 1-2)
V. 2 he writes “ I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.”
Paul sees himself as a Father of the bride. He is Spiritual Father and the Corinthian Christians are the bride. He draws a picture for us and shows how he wants to be able to present his bride as a pure virgin to the groom, which is Christ.
In that day, it brought about shame to the father if his daughter was known to be impure before her wedding.
Paul doesn’t want them to give their love to anyone other than Christ.
The problem was that there were theses attractive guys coming into town, false teachers, who were very good at what they did. They were “wise” and knowledgeable. They were excellent speakers.
And Paul says, when these guys come around, teaching you something other than what we gave to you, you put up with it easy enough! You tolerate and embrace such evil adulteration of the Gospel!
WE need to be vigilant! We need to be alert to the things that would keep us from purity for Christ.
We, Kairo, too are the bride of Christ, as we wait for our groom to come. We need to be pure as we wait.
So what does it take to be presented pure before Christ?

It’s more than just Pious Desire. (v. 3)
People often will say “As long as you have a good heart.” Or “She has a sincere heart”, you’re good.
But I want to warn you, it’s more than just a pure, pious desire for spiritual things.
Just because we have a sincere heart to know God, we shouldn’t think that that’s enough in itself to draw us to God.
Why not?
Because Paul sees that many of the false teachers are preying on their very love and sincerity for God, to draw them away in their false teachings.
3But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
Paul gives us an illustration of Eve in the garden.
EX: Remember how Satan, the wicked and sly serpent in the Garden, got Eve to fall? By offering her a puff right? By offering her a sip of some of that strong stuff, right?
No! Those things are bad and wrong!
He lured her in by offering her the opportunity to be “more spiritual”, to be like God. To know between good and evil.
And it says in Gen 3:6 that she saw the fruit, and it was “desirable for gaining wisdom”. She desired to be wise.

IT’S MORE THAN JUST PIOUS DESIRE.
We can have a sincere desire to chase after God, but we have to make sure that what we’re chasing after is really God, or approved by God. We have to be sure the truth we are reaching out for is God’s truth.
The Corinthians had a sincere desire to know Christ, and along come the false teachers who claim to have more than what Paul offered with the Gospel.
These guys were the guys who came and visited Corinth, and offered a similar, yet different message than the pure Gospel. It was an adulterated, impure Gospel.
It’s impossible to know exactly what they taught, but seems to have an element of salvation by works, which totally takes away from Christ’s gospel of free salvation by grace.
And Paul says, you embrace it way too easily. Be more vigilant against what is false.

It’s more than just Persuasive Delivery (v. 6)
Remember earlier in 2 Corinthians, we talked about how Paul wasn’t the most powerful or eloquent of speakers. They would criticize him for being small and weak as a speaker.
Many of the Corinthians in that day were drawn to speakers with great intellect and powerful speech, who were trained and skilled in speaking publicly.
Problem was that many of these gifted speakers coming into town were fatally wrong!
EX: At a dinner party in nineteenth century England where the host had asked everyone to come prepared to give a recitation or reading after the meal. A famous London stage actor, with all his training and experience, stood up and eloquently recited the Psalm 23. When he finished he sat down to thunderous applause. Unfortunately the next person, who was not a professional nor a very good speaker, had also chosen to share Psalm 23. As he started out, with very little polish, there were some snickers at the table. William Barclay writes that by the time the man finished, a stillness had fallen around the table that was far more profound than any applause. As the man sat down, the actor said to him, "I know the psalm but you know the shepherd."
Paul is willing to acknowledge in v. 6 “I may not be a trained speaker, but I do have knowledge.”
Specifically, something he had that the most powerful of the false teachers didn’t have, was a true knowledge of Christ and his Gospel. They might know how to speak, but Paul knows the Shepherd.
Application: I think this strikes very close to home.
I want to challenge you guys to really seek the truth of God’s word. To really seek to be fed the truth of Jesus Christ and the Gospel, along with everything else given to us in Scripture.
Of course, right? But I think it’s common for many of to have a strong dependence on the gift or skill of the preacher.
IF the speaker engages me, or makes me laugh, or entertains me, or tells great stories, or gives colorful illustrations, THEN I will listen and I will enjoy and I will grow.
EX: I remember in college, while serving on Core, both in college and at SBECC, I remember specifically telling my friend: “I determine if I like a speaker by how much he makes me laugh.” I as a leader, but never realized how much I needed to grow.
And of course you’re thinking, “oh no, that’s not me. I love God’s word for what it is.”
Well, let’s talk about the elephant that’s in the room.
Truth is, I’ve already heard several complaints about the teaching here at Kairo. I’ve heard that Kairo teaching can be boring, or inapplicable. I’ve heard people say that they don’t depend on Kairo’s teaching to be fed, but they come just to serve. I have heard all these things.
Instead, we’ll listen to sermons online and on the radio to teachers who are famous for their preaching, and gifted in their speaking. THESE guys we can really learn from!
Church, I want to say, to be very careful… because it’s not just about powerful delivery and polished presentations.
The Preacher of the Year (T.D. Jakes) has one of the largest followings in the U.S. I also happen to be learn about him in my Theology class last week, about how his doctrine denies the Trinity!
Be careful who we listen to, that it’s not just because of their “powerful delivery”.
The Corinthians loved it, and were vulnerable to be led astray because they depended on it.
I want to encourage you to instead of depending on the teacher to be a trained speaker, rather train yourselves to be a good listener.
Paul said in 1 Cor. 2, that though he doesn’t come with eloquent speech, or wise and persuasive words, he comes with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power.
I pray that we who preach here would come with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power in our preaching, but that you would also come to church with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power in your listening.
Let the speaker depend on God to open his mouth to speak God’s Message, and as listeners, let’s depend on God to open our ears to hear God’s message, no matter how engaging, or how boring the delivery is!
The Spirit doesn’t only work in the Preaching of the Preacher, but he also works in the heart of the Hearer!
EX: Corrine’s story.
I realized then that the Spirit doesn’t only work through the preaching of the preacher, but he’s also working in the hearts of the hearers.
Don’t base good teaching just off how well it’s delivered. Base it on it’s content and it’s truthfulness to Jesus Christ and his gospel.
Pray: Holy Spirit, help me to hear what you are saying to Your Church. Help me not to only hear the speaker, but to hear You, Holy Spirit, even louder.

It’s more than just Pleasant Display (v. 13-15)
13For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
Church, beware of the Devil.
How do we be aware of the devil? We look out for the guy in the goatee, the red suit, the horns and the big pitchfork, right?
No, contrary to common belief, the devil does not present himself as a nasty beast who goes around frightening people so that they run away from him. He can’t win like that!
The Devil is one who appears to be righteous and masquerades himself as an angel of light.
Satan knows what it looks like to be an angel of light for he used to be one.
There was something about the serpent in the Garden that didn’t cause Eve to freak out and flee.
No, instead, Eve in her purest form, was somehow lured in by one who seemed to have something very good and righteous to offer.
The false teachers in Corinth are this Serpents servants! And so Paul says, no wonder they appear to be righteous, just as Satan himself poses as an angel of righteousness!
Just because they sound good, and they look good on the surface of things, we must come back to who Jesus really is, the simple Gospel.
We are too easily drawn away by how good teachers and groups appear to be on the outside, on how pleasant their display.
Just because they do cool things, have cool music, have nice people, doesn’t make them true teachers of the Gospel of Christ.
Just because they show a lot of love, do a lot of good deeds, send out a lot of missionaries, doesn’t make them true teachers of the Gospel.
Whether they are conscious of it or not, many teachers of “Jesus Christ” act as servants of Satan, who masquerade as Servants of Righteousness.
Some teach false doctrine knowingly, and some don’t, but Satan uses the false teaching regardless for his purposes.
And I know it seems a little harsh to call them “Servants of Satan”, but essentially they are leading people to death, apart from the true Gospel, away from the Kingdom, and into the kingdom of Satan.
EX: My apologetics professor is incredible. He has authored many books and speaks at many places. He can argue the faith and out debate anyone.
One of the couples at his church and called him up with an emergency. He said I need you to come over. We’re thinking about leaving the church and joining the Mormons.
My professor was shocked. He was an expert in refuting Mormonism. He knew everything wrong with them and why you SHOULD NOT join the Mormon Church.
They sat and he refuted the religion over hours. At the end of the talk, he said. “Thank you for all those reasons. I can’t argue against a single one of them. But we’re going to leave the church”
The couple had gone through a miscarriage, the most difficult time in their marriage. And yet the Mormon church showed them incredible love. There were Mormons who knew how to show them incredible love, a love they didn’t experience in the Christian church.
As much as the Christian church should have been doing these things, the pleasant display put on by the Mormons was so pleasant and powerful and persuasive to the couple.
To the couple, these were servants of Righteousness who showed goodness and love. But what they don’t realize is that they are Servants of the one who is leading them to death, apart from the True Christ!
Church, being pure before our Love Jesus Christ, it’s more than just Pious Desire. It’s more than just going after Persuasive Deliveries. It’s more than just Pleasant Displays.

It’s a pure devotion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ
So what is it?
How can we be presented pure as the bride of Christ? How can we stay clear of false teachings?
Paul says in v. 4: “Come back. Come back to the Jesus you first learned of, the gospel you first accepted, the spirit you first received.” Come back to the basics.
EX: Coach Vince Lombardi was coach of the Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers. He would start off every season with his championship football teams, filled with veterans and rookies: “This is a football”. He would explain the shape and the size, and what to do with it. He would then take them to the field, and say “this is a footbal field”.
For veterans and rookies, Coach Lombardi’s goal was to keep the team from getting carried away by bringing them back to the basics and the fundamentals of the game.
Paul sees the Corinthians easily carried away by teachers with fancy preaching and displays of righteousness.
But he says, come back. This is Jesus. This is the Gospel.
Many of us are still searching for spiritual peace, and a truth to belong to.
Others of us have been Christians for quite a while now, but even now we can easily forget why we are saved, how we are saved.
Some of us look at the sin we struggle with, and fall into despair for the things we know we ought to do, but fall short of doing them.
Some of us struggle with the fact of whether we are accepted by God or not.
EX: They say that Federal Agents are trained to spot counterfeit money, not by possessing the fakes, but by studying the real thing. The feds in Canada have a method they use to study the real thing: Touch, tilt, look at, look through.
And once you’ve come to know the real thing, because you’ve studied it over and over again, anything false that comes into their hands is immediately detected and done away with.
Church, I pray that this message is Spirit filled, and that his power is demonstrated in this message.
But let’s come back to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Study it, know it, don’t grow weary of it.
Jesus Christ, fully God, fully man, has come and lived so that he might die for us. And by his death on the cross, in fulfillment to Scripture, is enough to cancel our sin, and reconcile us to God.
“to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)
5he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. (Titus 3:5)
“For by grace, you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves. It is the gift of God- not as a result of works, so that no one can boast.” (Eph 2:8-9)
It’s not because of anything we’ve done, and it’s not because of anything we will do, and it’s not because of anything we fail to do.
We are saved because we believe in Jesus Christ and his sacrifice for our sins. It is by faith In Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Amen