Conquered By Christ! 2 Corinthians 2:12-17

We all love success. Everyone wants to be a success, be described as being successful, and reaping the privileges and benefits that success provides. We love seeing our name in the paper, having people know our name, and want to spend time with us praising us for our latest accomplishment. We love success, no we crave success, and would do almost anything to experience the spotlight. It makes perfect sense when you stop to think about it. I mean, what nation ever set out to be conquered? What army ever hit the battlefield simply to surrender? What person ever started a company and put “total and complete financial failure” in his business plan? What athlete ever laid in bed at night and dreamed about losing? What student ever studied with the intent of making an “F?” What husband and wife ever stood together on their wedding day and said, “We both know we aren’t going to make it, there’s no way this will last, but let’s go ahead with the ceremony anyway. We’ll get some good pics for Instagram!” The answer to all of those questions is, “Nobody!”Not only do we want to be successful, but we also love those who are successful. We love the big timing, cash flashing, game winning, home run hitting, show me the money hit makers who always come out on top. If it looks like they are going to lose, but always come through in the end…then we love them even more! There is not one bit of difference, in regards to “success” and the adulation of the successful, from Paul’s day until this very moment. If you will remember, the Isthmian games were played in Corinth and the athletes who stood atop the winner’s platform became instant heroes. Also, some of the most famous people in Greece were philosophers, people like Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle who could mesmerize an audience with their wit and wisdom. Strength, stunning good looks, success, the ability to wow an audience with your eloquent and rhapsodic voice--all of these were highly prized during Paul’s day and they still are today. And then along comes Paul…and he is none of these. Those who were trying to undermine his ministry were quick to point out that Paul was weak and not strong, he certainly wasn’t much to look at, his imprisonments were an embarrassment, and he was just a guy, nothing impressive about him at all. In 2 Corinthians 10:10, Paul writes about what was being said about him. Read it with me.

10 For some say, "His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing." (2 Corinthians 10:10 NIV)

Paul lacked all of the outward signs of success. In 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 he is right up front in confessing that he was afflicted, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down. In 2 Corinthians 11:5-6, Paul admits that he doesn’t have the speaking skills of the “super apostles” when he writes,

5 I do not think I am in the least inferior to those "super-apostles." 6 I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way. (2 Corinthians 11:5-6 NIV)

Instead of trying to cast himself in a better light or hiring a team to help him boost his brand, Paul emphasized his weakness in order that everyone might know the strength of Almighty God who is at work in Paul’s life. In our Scripture for this morning, Paul uses a very well known show of strength in the Roman world to make this truth even more clear. Let’s turn to 2 Corinthians 2:12-17 and read together. 

12 Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me, 13 I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia. 14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ's triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task? 17 Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God. (2 Corinthians 2:12-17 NIV)

We would be tempted to skip right over verses 12-13 if we were simply reading these verses on our own because they seem to be nothing more than an explanation of Paul’s travel itinerary. We really need to take a closer look at what Paul has to say because they give us a glimpse into the heart of Paul and they also serve as a mirror for what we’ve all experienced at one time or another, and will experience in the future. Let’s read these two verses one more time.

12 Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me, 13 I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia. (2 Corinthians 2:12-13 NIV)

Paul’s whole life was consumed with stepping through open doors for ministry. He didn’t go on a mission trip once a year, his entire life after becoming a follower of Jesus was on mission. Bible scholars agree that Paul traveled over 12,000 miles on his missionary journeys across Israel, Syria, Turkey, Greece, and Italy. Some of those miles were by boat or on horseback, but the vast majority of the miles covered were by foot. During those years after his conversion that Paul was traveling from place to place, sharing the good news of Jesus, he ran into opposition and conflict time and time again, yet nothing could stop him from stepping through a door of opportunity that had been opened by the Lord. Let me give you an example of some of the hardships Paul encountered. Turn to 2  Corinthians 11:24-27 with me. 

24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. (2 Corinthians 11:24-27 NIV)

I would say that most of us would have pulled back and found something else to do after the first few beatings or having been run out of town. Maybe instead of evangelism and church planting we might feel led to some less stressful ministry, maybe join a monastery or start a Christian retreat center. Not Paul. He kept pressing on, stepping through every open door so he could share the hope found only in Jesus. It is estimated that he visited more than 50 cities, started who-knows-how-many churches, and we know he wrote thirteen letters that are part of the Bible. Wayne Jackson writes,

Yet within the thirteen epistles known to have been written by Paul, and penned over an era of maybe just under twenty years, there is no complaint of fatigue, no whimpering at the hardships, no disappointment expressed of having been “crucified with Christ,” or of wasted years, or lack of family, wealth, or fame—just adulation. There was the simple joy in serving his Lord, and for the blessed hope of life to come. (Wayne Jackson, Some Character Traits of Paul, the Apostle. Christian Courier.)

No hardship could stop Paul from stepping through those doors that had been opened by the Lord, even though he had a good idea about what was waiting for him on the other side. I’ve taken the time to help us understand the commitment and resilience of Paul so that I might show us another side of Paul that often gets overlooked. So, let’s go back to verses 12-13. In these verses we find out that Paul had left Ephesus and traveled to Troas “to preach the gospel of Christ.” Paul says, “the Lord had opened a door for me.” In verse 13, Paul writes, “I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there.” Most English translations translate the phrase, “No rest in my spirit.” The Greek word for “rest” used here means, “a loosening, relaxing, or relaxation of tension.” A great door for ministry had been opened for Paul, but Paul was tense and could find no peace. What was causing him to be so stressed out? It was the Corinthians' response to the letter, the “painful letter,” the “severe letter” that he had sent to his brothers and sisters in Corinth. Paul was supposed to meet up with Titus, the man who had delivered the letter to the church, but Titus was not to be found in Troas. God had opened a door, but Paul was so distraught waiting on news from Titus that he left the open door in Troas and went to the next city on the road to Corinth in hopes of finding Titus there. Paul writes,

13 I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia. (2 Corinthians 2:13 NIV)

I can’t tell you how deeply these two verses have impacted me this past week. Paul seems bulletproof to most of us. Nothing affects him, nothing bothers him, nothing distracts him…or at least that’s what we’ve been taught. Here, in these two little verses, we learn that Paul was as human as every single one of us. Over the course of the years that Connie and I have been here at Britton Christian Church there have been times that I was paralyzed by what we were going through, but I had to show up, put on a smile, and do what the Lord had called me to do even though in actuality I simply was not here. I will never forget one Easter from many years ago. My neighbor had committed suicide several weeks before and I was with him the day he took his life. In the middle of the night, when his wife heard the gunshot, she called our house. I went next door and as we waited for the police to come, I sat with Mike’s body while Donna made sure the kids didn’t wake up and come into the living room. The next several weeks were agonizing. I couldn’t sleep even though one of the doctors in our church gave me sleeping pills. I thought about my conversation with Mike throughout the night. I was so anxious and tormented in my mind that I would wake Connie up and have her pray for me. I thought I was losing my mind. Several weeks later, early on Easter Sunday morning before anything started at the church, we were having breakfast for the Promise Keepers men. I broke down and shared with them what was going on. I told them, “It’s the biggest day of the year and I can’t even think straight. I don’t know how I’m going to do what God has called me to this morning. I need your prayers.” Those men gathered around me and prayed the most passionate prayers for the Lord to give me peace. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity the Lord had set before me that Easter morning, but I could find no peace in my spirit. I know what it is not to have any rest in my spirit and I’m certain you do as well. It is comforting for me to know that such a godly man like Paul experienced what you and I experience. David Garland writes about Paul’s situation,

The conflict with Corinth agitated Paul so much that it sabotaged a mission opportunity. His grief undermined his effectiveness and led him to exit doors that God may have wanted him to enter. (Garland, David. 2 Corinthians. pg. 134)

Paul’s grief, the stress he felt worrying about his relationship with those he dearly loved, undermined his effectiveness for the open door in Troas. I’ve been in that same situation more times than I care to count. As I said, I am comforted to know Paul experienced the same stress and grief, but I need more than simply to know Paul was down and discouraged. If misery loves company then I don’t need Paul, there’s a million people I can turn to if I’m only looking for company in the midst of my misery. In these next verses I find strength for sorrow, hope for the stressful times of life, and meaning and purpose in the midst of suffering. Let’s read verses 14-16 together. 

14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ's triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task? (2 Corinthians 2:14-16 NIV)

This is such an important section of Scripture for you and me to understand. Paul uses imagery from the Roman Triumphs that was more than familiar to all of those who lived in the Roman Empire. Before we get to that we need first to understand the controversy that has surrounded these verses. The controversy is centered around one word, the Greek word “?????????” (thriambeuo) which means, “to triumph over.” The word is used only one other time in the Bible, in Colossians 2:15 where Paul is describing how God has triumphed over the powers and led them as captives in the triumph. Read it with me.

15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Colossians 2:15 NIV)

Some, like John Calvin, who knew the meaning of the word and how it was used, just simply could not get his head around the idea of Paul describing himself as the conquered. How could Paul describe himself as the defeated captive of God? So, John Calvin translated the phrase, “to triumph with.” Calvin said Paul was praising God for allowing him to share in His triumph. For Calvin, Paul was a triumphant soldier in God’s victorious army. After having spent the week studying these verses I believe the usual way of reading this important word is the best way. Let me set the scene for you and explain why I believe this. The imagery Paul uses in these verses is taken from the Roman triumphal processions. Writers of ancient Roman literature record over 300 depictions of a triumphal procession in paintings, plays, on arches, cups and coins, statues, medallions, and in books. But what did a Roman triumph processional look like? William Barclay describes it this way. Listen to this…

In a Triumph, the procession of the victorious general marched through the streets of Rome to the Capitol in the following order. First came the state officials and the senate. Then came the trumpeters. Then were carried the spoils taken from the conquered land. For instance, when Titus conquered Jerusalem, the seven-branched candlestick, the golden table of the shew-bread and the golden trumpets were carried through the streets of Rome…Walking behind all of these were the captive princes, leaders and generals in chains, shortly to be flung into prison and in all probability almost immediately to be executed. Then came the lictors bearing their rods, followed by the musicians with their lyres; then the priests swinging their censers with the sweet-smelling incense burning in them. After that came the general himself. He stood in a chariot drawn by four horses. He was clad in a purple tunic embroidered with golden palm leaves, and over it a purple toga marked out with golden stars. In his hand he held an ivory sceptre with the Roman eagle at its top, and over his head a slave held the crown of Jupiter. After him rode his family; and finally came the army wearing all their decorations and shouting Io triumphs! their cry of triumph. (Barclay, William. 2 Corinthians Commentary)

Paul does not describe himself as one of the soldiers of the Roman army, but as one of the conquered who was put on display. I think this makes perfect sense, not only for Paul, but for everyone of us who are followers of Jesus. Let me explain. If you know Paul’s history, you know that he was an enemy of Jesus. He was hunting down the followers of Jesus. Paul was present and giving his approval when Stephen, a follower of Jesus, was stoned to death. In Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, he wrote,

9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. (1 Corinthians 15:9 NIV)

Paul was an enemy of God long before he began persecuting the church. According to God’s Word all of us were born at enmity with God because we are sinners, natural born sinners.. We are made right with God by no good deed of our own, but by God’s gracious act of giving His Son as an atonement for our sins. Paul writes about this in Romans 5:8-10.  

8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! (Romans 5:8-10 NIV)

Unlike the Roman generals who paraded their captives through the streets on their way to execution, Paul the rebel who had rebelled against God from the time of birth, was captured by love. This is not only Paul’s story, it is your story and my story. In 2 Corinthians 5:14 Paul writes, “For Christ’s love constrains us” or “controls us…” The Greek verb “synecho” can also mean “to take or hold captive.” It was this love that Paul has written about over and over again that overwhelmed me. I couldn’t fathom anyone loving me in the way God’s love was described to me. His love overwhelmed me and at the same time stirred something in me that has never left…I want everyone to know and experience His overwhelming love! Here’s another take away I gained from spending time with this Scripture this week. The whole purpose of the Roman triumph was to flaunt the power and majesty of Rome over the entire world. Rome was the super-power, the general was to be feared and revered, and the emperor was no less than god. Paul says, “No, no, no…the emperor is a tiny tyrant and God is the Sovereign Ruler over all creation. His power is not found in triumphal parades, but in the suffering of Jesus on the cross and in His followers who are maligned and despised by the world. As Jesus triumphed by dying a humiliating death on the cross, so Paul triumphs by being captured and called to serve the Lord for the rest of his days. Let’s look at one more thing before we go. Let’s look at verses 15-16 one more time.

14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ's triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task? (2 Corinthians 2:14-16 NIV)

I want us to focus in on what Paul says about how God “uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere” in verse 14. He also says we are an aroma of life to some and an aroma of death to others. Paul pictures his life and our lives, for those of you who are followers of Jesus as a fragrance that goes out and spreads the knowledge of Jesus. The imagery of an aroma was certainly part of the Roman triumph, but it was even more prevalent in the sacrifices made at the temple day-in and day-out throughout its history. Paul used the same imagery in Ephesians 5:1-2 where he wrote,

1 Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2 NIV)

Jesus’ life of sacrifice and His suffering were a pleasing aroma to God. When we walk in Jesus’ steps and endure the hardships of this life with purpose then others will recognize something different about you and me. That difference is most definitely Him. It truly is all about Jesus. He is our Savior, but He is also our strength. When we keep our eyes on Him we are able to face above every challenge, we are able to see the significance of our sufferings. I have to ask you this morning, “Has He captured your heart? Has the King of all kings conquered you with His overwhelming love and set your life on a new course?” If not, then I want to invite you to surrender this very morning.  Mike HaysBritton Christian Church922 NW 91stOKC, OK. 73114November 27, 2022