2 Cor 1:12-22 Change of Plans and Plans that Never Change Please remain standing and turn to 2 Corinthians 1:12-22. That is on page 1145 in the Pew Bible. In these verses, the apostle Paul explains three things. First, his own manner of life as it relates to the Corinthians. Second, Paul explains his change of plans. And third, he explains that the promises of God never change. Listen for those three things as I read. Reading of 2 Corinthians 1:12-22 Prayer “Who moved my cheese?” That question is the title of a 1998 book that has sold over 30 million copies. Maybe some of you have read it. It’s about 4 characters who live in a maze. Day in and day out they are looking for cheese. Well one day, the cheese is not in its usual place. And one of the characters, in frustration, exclaims, “who moved my cheese?” It’s really a book about change. We are creatures of habit. We like things to stay consistent. We like our plans to work out the way we planned them. When things don’t go as expected, we resist or we blame, or we make bad assumptions. Or we worry about the future. Well, the apostle Paul moved the Corinthian’s cheese, so to speak. You see, Paul had told the church in Corinth that he planned to visit them, but those plans changed. In fact, Paul’s plans to visit had changed two times. First, at the end of 1 Corinthians, Paul told them that he planned to visit them after travelling through Macedonia. Well, that didn’t work out. Second, he mentions here, in 2 Corinthians 1 verse 16 that he had hoped to visit them twice, but he didn’t. Further, if you remember from a couple of weeks ago, Paul had made an emergency visit to them. That was an unplanned trip. And following that visit he wrote a painful letter, as he described it. So, Paul had set expectations with the church in Corinth, but over the prior few months, he made multiple changes of plans. What if Sinclair Ferguson, well-known Scottish preacher, promised to visit us? We had him scheduled to preach. But he had to back out. So, we rescheduled. And again he had to cancel. Then one day Sinclair Ferguson did show up, but his visit was unplanned. We had to scramble to accommodate him. How would you feel about that? Now, I know it’s not the same. Sinclair is not an apostle, nor do we know him personally. But the Corinthians did know Paul. And he did promise to visit. And because of his changed plans, they were frustrated. We get that sense in verses 17. Paul uses the word “vacillating.” They thought he was wishy washy. In that same verse he asks whether he makes his plans according to the “flesh.” That word flesh is often in Scripture used to indicate sinful desires and actions in contrast with living according to the Spirit. Because his plans changed, some believed he was therefore not walking by the Spirit. So, all these questions were swirling about. And I want to remind you about the group that had been undermining Paul. The reason Paul defends himself in this letter is because of their accusations. This group was using Paul’s change of plans to undermine his authority. They were in essence taking advantage of the Corinthians’ doubt and assumptions and unmet expectations and using those thing against Paul. Paul moved your cheese, how can you trust this guy? After all, he says one thing, but he does another. His “yes” is not “yes,” his “no” is not “no.” That is not how someone led by the Spirit would act. No, this Paul guy is being led by the flesh. With all his vacillating, can he even be an Apostle? And some of the Corinthians were persuaded. So, Paul wants to clear things up. That is the premise and purpose of these verses. And as I mentioned up front, he does that by communicating three things. · First, in verses 12-14, Paul reminds them about the testimony of his own life and his love for them. That’s really important for them to remember. · Second, verses 15-17, Paul explains that his plans do not undermine his love for them nor his ministry · and then, third, verses 18-22, he tells them that there’s something that never changes - God's promises fulfilled in Christ. So, that is where we are headed this morning. #1 Paul’s Life and His Love So, again, #1, in verses 12-14, Paul begins by testifying to his own life and his love for them. By the way, it’s not just his life, it’s also those who were with him, like Timothy. Now, let me ask you this. When someone questions your decisions, what is your first response? Do you get defensive? Sometimes I do. Do you dismiss the person? Do you turn the tables on them and start questioning them? Those are the kinds of things that we tend to do. Right? Well Paul doesn’t do any of that. No, instead, he lovingly responds. Look at verse 12. Paul begins with a reminder about their time together. He and Timothy modelled “simplicity” and “godly sincerity” in their lives. You can see those words ...
