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Another Sermon for the Starving Bible Believing Christians All Over the World Wide Web
2006 - Touchet Baptist Church, Touchet, Washington - Pastor Mike Paulson - 2006
Expounding the way of God more perfectly - Acts 18:26 - with the Scriptures Rightly Divided - II Timothy 2:15

Paul Gives Us a Great Perplexion
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
II Corinthians 4:8-9

With what I have learned these past 4 years, now is when I wish I was just starting here as pastor.  It will be 10 years this July - God has been good in showing us understanding!  How much time do we have left to do something with this 'early' understanding that we are being shown in this Book?

Paul's Gospel is all about Growing up as a Christian!
I Corinthians 14:20 - Brethren, be not children in understanding; howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.
I Corinthians 13:11 - When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
Ephesians 4:14 - That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Understanding more and more
Ephesians 1:18 - the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
II Timothy 2:7 - Consider what I say; and the Lord will give thee understanding in all things.
Philippians 4:7 - And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  And for us today, we have the King James Bible to keep us from being deceived by the spirit of antichrist, false teachers, etc.
Yet, we certainly have come upon difficult times today!
Those that don't believe this are either deceitful liars or so proud they don't want to admit it / or 'grace abusers.  Paul is certainly about more than just fun and frolic with grace!
Ecclesiastes 1:18 - For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
II Corinthians 2:4 - For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you.
II Corinthians 12:15 - And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.

We still have some difficult times ahead as... and that peace that Paul talks about is not all there yet, is it?

But for us now, it is time to get on with Paul's gospel as a Christian today!

Paul's Gospel

Is it really just I Corinthians 15:1-8 as almost all of our favorite and famous preachers and pastors say?

Paul says if the gospel being preached doesn't match with what he is preaching, even if an angel from Heaven preaches it, then it is a false gospel and those that preach it are accursed!
Galatians 1:8,9 - But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.  As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
see II Corinthians 11:1-13

Is Paul wrong here?
Do we ignore Paul like so many do?
Do we throw his epistles out of the Bible?
Do we need to go to formal Bible school to learn how to spiritualize Paul?
Are we no longer following Jesus if we follow Paul?
Do we no longer follow Paul if we try to follow Jesus?


We are told to follow Paul, not Jesus' teachings - it is as simple as that!
I Corinthians 11:1,2 -  Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.  Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.
I Corinthians 4:16,17 - Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.  For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.

Jesus Christ will judge us by Paul's gospel!
Romans 2:16 - In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

Paul has seen Christ face to face!
ACts 9:1-22; 20:24; 26:15-28; Galatians 1:11,12; I Corinthians 15:8; II Corinthians 12:1-10, Ephesians 3:1-7

A fitting conclusion to Romans is actually our beginning today!
Romans 16:25-27   Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,  But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:  To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.


But yes!  We certainly have troubled times ahead - right now, in fact!
Hour of temptation, not day of temptation!
Time of our troubles, not Jacob's!
The fulness of the Gentiles is about to be come in!

These times can no longer be ignored!
In the world
Not only in the world as the 'transition to the Trib' seems to be taking place - we still don't need to have any 'Tribulation Reaction' today... .
In Christianity
..but even just our witness of Paul's gospel among people who 'talk of Jesus' in their Christianity... even our friends as well as close family!

It wasn't easy for Paul, either.

II Corinthians 1:8: For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:
II Corinthians 7:5: For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears.
Galatians 5:10: I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.
II Thessalonians 1:7: And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
II Thessalonians 2:2: That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.  (not the second coming, by the way!)
II Timothy 2:9: Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.

I don't see us in bonds, though, unless we put ourselves into them!


Come on folks...

We don't need to be concerned about our future!

We don't need to be concerned about our past!
We 'shouldn't even "worry" about our present life!
We have the Book - and an understanding of Paul's gospel to the Gentiles...
versus Jesus' gospel to the Jews...
and the gospel of the antichrist to the modern Christian!

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

II Corinthians 4:8-9  Let us now allow Paul to show us how to have a good perplexion in these troubling days!


But this question remains - How did Paul really do it?  Yes, we should learn to follow what we have learned from Paul - what we have received from Paul and what we have heard from Paul and what we have seen in Paul.  But what is it that he did that kept him doing what he did?

answer:  Wednesday!