Staying Strong
SECOND IN THE SERIES
2 CORINTHIANS 2:5-4:18
I am not overstating it when I say that the man who caused all the trouble hurt all of you
more than he hurt me. 6 Most of you opposed him, and that was punishment enough. 7
Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he may be overcome by
discouragement. 8 So I urge you now to reaffirm your love for him.
9
I wrote to you as I did to test you and see if you would fully comply with my instructions.
10
When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be
forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, 11so that Satan will not outsmart
us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes. 2 CORINTHIANS 2:5-11 NLT
5
I. Spiritual Drifting:
1. It happens to ______________________.
2. It happens when believers ____________________ the flesh.
3. It happens when believers _________________ evil.
4. It has a ______________ that carries so much regret.
1
So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift
away from it. 2 For the message God delivered through angels has always stood
firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was
punished. 3 So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great
salvation...” HEBREWS 2:1-3a, NLT
III. Staying Strong means
1. Not carrying around a list of personal ____________________.
10
Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I
have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ,
11
so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his
designs. 2 CORINTHIANS 2:10-11 ESV
2. Staying Strong means feeling __________________ to God and
what He is _____________.
18
So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of
the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as
we are changed into his glorious image.
Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give
up. 2 CORINTHIANS 3:18-4:1 NLT
3. Staying strong means seeing the _______________ while living
in the _________________.
That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being
renewed every day. 17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very
long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last
forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our
gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be
gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. us.
2 CORINTHIANS 4:16-18 NLT
Lord help me to push past the quitting points!
Pastor’s Guide
1-17-16