The Destructive Power of a Personal Agenda (2 Corinthians 10-12)

Introduction

Okay, so part three. And you’re asking what were parts one and two. This all builds on Ken Chapman’s sermon, The Other Man, which was the story of David and Bathsheba and the sin that took place in 2 Samuel chapter 11 that affected Uriah the Hittite. And he told the story from Uriah’s point of view. I launched out into the sequel last Sunday night in one of Wayland’s favorite lessons, because he was in the introduction. Nightmares of the righteous. And we talked not only about Weyland’s nightmare, but we also talked about the nightmares of that story, the nightmare of Uriah, the nightmare of Bathsheba and Ahithophel, and even Nathan, and of course David’s own nightmare as he lived out the consequences of his sins. Thanks to Gary, as the website was quickly updated, Ken got to listen to the sequel.

He kept saying, I want to hear the sequel. I want to hear the sequel. And I said, look, maybe you can turn this into a whole series. So he liked the sequel, and then I said, you know what? I think there’s a part three in this. He said, well, be careful, because like home alone, the second movie may ramp it up a lot, but then when you get to the third one, it really starts. If that’s what happens in tonight’s lesson, look, this is the last one in the series. There will be no part four, at least as I see it now. This is it. But this is like this morning’s sermon in that the minute I sit down Sunday night after nightmares of the righteous, some more thoughts.

Some things in the outline that I didn’t say, some more thoughts that I had came to mind that I wanted to talk about briefly with you. So part three has to do, as we talk more about David, Bathsheba, and Uriah’s story, the destructive power of a personal agenda. Because that’s really what’s going on in the story, right? David has an agenda. He’s committed sin with Bathsheba. He’s trying to cover it up. When that doesn’t work, he has Uriah killed, and ultimately she becomes his wife, and we see all of the consequences and fallout from one man’s personal agenda. This wasn’t a group agenda. This was David’s. David’s personal agenda, something he wanted to get done and accomplish, and look at all the fallout and all the lives affected by one man’s personal agenda.

And there’s a powerful lesson in that. Now, let me just start here with a disclaimer. As I preach about the power, the possibility or potential of the destructive power of one’s personal agenda, let me make it clear that I’m not preaching about any situation here. So often when I preach on stuff like this, oh, what’s going on? Is there something going on behind the scenes that I don’t know about? Tony’s addressing it from the pulpit? No. As far as I know, and that’s that’s saying something, as far as I know, everything is at peace, and there’s no underlying current, there’s nothing that I’m addressing that’s going on presently in regard to this lesson. But here’s the thing. We don’t need to wait until something begins to happen to address these kinds of things.

We all need to be thinking about my personal agenda. And how my personal agenda could be destructive in the local work. And really, that’s what we were talking about this morning in Romans 14. As we talked about someone who feels like I can exercise this liberty. But what if you exercise your liberty by shoving it in the face of your weak brother, and it’s now to his detriment. Then your personal agenda is put ahead of the welfare of your brother. So this has a lot to do with what we studied this morning. And so I’ll take you, and this will be an introduction to Mike’s class with you next Sunday morning in my absence. I’ll be in a weekend meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Mike’s going to teach the class.

Where he says, Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength. And then this, underscore this. And not just please ourselves. Whatever the situation is that unfolds in the local church, and I can’t predict what that’s going to be. All the circumstances that will unfold in the next 10 years, if the Lord allows this world to stand, all the things that this church might confront in the next decade. I don’t know what it is, but whatever it is that comes up, make sure that your agenda is not. I’m going to please myself. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good to his edification. Now that’s not what David was doing in regard to Uriah, was he? Or even Christ did not please himself.

1. A New Testament Example in 2 Corinthians

There’s the model of this selfless approach to relationships that is so necessary to maintain unity and a sphere of productivity in the local church. He said, even Christ did not please himself. So, whatever our agenda is, we may not get to satisfy that for the welfare of others and the local church. Because Christ did not please himself. The reproaches of those who reproach thee fell on me. And so as I thought about David’s personal agenda in that story and how destructive it was, I thought of a New Testament example. Now I talk about this a lot. Some of you have heard me talk about 2 Corinthians. I’m fascinated by what Paul does in 2 Corinthians. There are hints at this. There’s three major sections of 2 Corinthians.

There’s the first section where he establishes the theme of reconciliation and not only reconciliation with God, but reconciliation with himself. And there’s several hints that there is something going on in the relationship of Paul with the church at Corinth. And then he has that section about the appeal to give for the poor saints in Judea in chapters 8 and 9. And then he gets to the specifics of the problems in Corinth in the last four chapters. And so he begins in 2 Corinthians by talking about that his ministry among the Corinthians has been completely above board. And not just his ministry among them, his ministry, period. The genuineness of his role in the kingdom and the genuineness of his ministry. And he even goes so far as to say to the Corinthians in chapter 3 look, you are the product of the work that I’ve done.

You are our epistle. What Christ has done in your life is a letter known and read by all men. You are evidence of the kind of work that me and my co-workers have done. And they should have owed Paul something for that, a better response than he’s getting. And in chapter 6, he says very clearly, you are restrained in your affections toward us. That’s always been a troubling thing to me because this church owes the apostle Paul for his labor so very much, and yet they are now estranged from him. And he says, you are restrained. He said, our heart is open wide. He said, You’re not restrained by us. We’ve not done anything to create this barrier in our relationship with you. And it’s also, and I noticed something this week I hadn’t noticed before, that really flows into the conversation in verse 14 when he says, do not be bound together with unbelievers.

That really he’s telling us right here in chapter 6 that part of the problem is the Corinthians have now aligned themselves with a bad crowd. Now, we use this passage in all sorts of ways about companionships and relationships, but I believe Paul primarily is talking about those who have come to influence the Corinthians. And so after he goes through that giving section in chapter 8 and chapter 9, we come to chapter 10 and we find out a lot more about what’s going on in Corinth. And there are some detractors in Corinth who are saying some very unkind things about the Lord’s apostle. Well, you know, when he writes letters, he’s really strong. But his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible.

Now, Ken told me this about when I told him the approach I was going to take on this part, he said, you might want to point out that when Paul talks about the weapons of our warfare not being carnal but mighty to God for the destruction of fortresses, as he talks about the spiritual warfare, he says, the detractors in Corinth are using the carnal weapons. They are judging Paul in his work on the basis of his appearance. And here’s a man who has suffered for the gospel and who is physically not what he used to be, as a result of all the blows that he has received in his suffering. And so he said, Let us such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters, when absent, such persons we are also indeed when present.

He says, Now, you think I’m very mild mannered and mild toned when I come and I’m with you literally. You keep this up, and you’re going to see a severe Paul when I return. He says that in chapter 12. But he says here in verse 12 about these detractors, he says, we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves. Okay, they are commending themselves, but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding. You see, the standard for them of acceptable conduct and behavior is whatever they do. Whatever they believe, whatever they are. It seems that these workers who are influencing the Corinthians have modified or manipulated the message in some way. We come into that in chapter 11, as he warns historically of Eve being beguiled by the serpent.

And he says, For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I betrothed you to one husband. But he said, I am afraid, verse 3, that you have been led astray, is about the implication here. That you have been led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. And he talks about one coming and preaching another Jesus. I don’t know what all of their message was, but they’ve changed it. They’ve manipulated it in some way. And he says about them specifically in verse 13.

They’re proclaiming themselves as being on par with the apostle Paul. But he says, they are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And he said, Don’t be surprised by this. Because even Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of life. He makes things appear to be something that they are not. He does that with all with us. He does that with us all the time. He tells us this thing will be in your best interest to latch on to it. This is good for you. He is always putting his package in a favorable light for us, suggesting this is good. This is light. This is what you need. And he’s done that with these detractors in Corinth. What’s motivating these guys? I wish I actually knew more about their agenda.

But there’s something that’s motivating them. There’s two things I think I can point to in the text for sure. That was their motivation, their personal agenda, that caused them to oppose Paul. Paul has a lot to say about being supported for preaching the gospel. He makes the statement in this context of chapter 11, and I love this, we robbed other churches to do you service. Now, obviously, he didn’t hold people at gunpoint. They didn’t have guns. Okay, but what I mean by that is he wasn’t strong arming other churches saying, you support me financially or else. But he’s saying basically, I could have asked you, the Corinthians, to support me, the laborer is worthy of his wages. But I didn’t even do that. I didn’t want to be a burden to you.

I didn’t want money to come into the way of my work in your lives. And so I received support from other churches to serve you. And I think by implication all of that, these guys, these false apostles, were more than glad to take their money. And perhaps even use that as that shows how legitimate we are. That we’ll accept money for our work. I’ve said to people, that would never work in the 21st century. If the preacher said, I’ll preach for free, brother would go, well, yeah, okay. That’ll be just fine with us. But their motives were obviously financial. And notice, they don’t have the Corinthians’ best interests at heart. And one of my favorite statements is down in verse 20 and 21 when he says, For you bear with anyone if he enslaves you, if he devours you, if he takes advantage of you, if he exalts himself, if he hits you in the face.

He said, Don’t you see what’s happening here? You’re listening to these guys who, in essence, I don’t think they’re literally hitting them in the face. I would hope not. But spiritually they’re hitting them and hitting them in the face. He says, You bear with them wonderfully, and I’m out. You’re rejecting me. To my shame. I must say I’ve been weak in comparison to these fellows. And yet later in chapter 12, he says, I would most gladly spend and be expended for your souls. And not only did I not take advantage of you, not only do I want what’s best for you, there’s not a person that I have sent to you, another brother in Christ, like Timothy and others. There’s not anybody I sent to you that took advantage of you.

And yet you’re allowing these guys to take advantage of you, and you’re rejecting me. There’s another implication here. Perhaps one of their motives, and that’s often a motive people have is financial. But I think more than anything else, as we read between the lines, it was about these guys’ view of themselves. I almost put ego here on the slide. I think I did at one point and changed it, but what does that mean? It’s about themselves. It’s about self-promotion. It’s about you regarding me in a certain way. And that’s often a motive that people have. Now I can say more about 2 Corinthians than I have in the past. I just wanted you to see the destructive power of a personal agenda. These guys had an agenda, and part of that was that we need to remove Paul so we can have the influence that we want to have.

We need to detract from him so that we can elevate ourselves. And so here they diminish a true apostle so that they can have sway and influence among the Corinthians. And notice how destructive that is. He warns again in verse 3 that you can be led away from the simplicity and purity of the devotion that’s in Christ. You are under the sway of deceitful workers, false apostles. Now that’s the text that sets. Here we see a New Testament example of what David did. Where I have a personal agenda like these false apostles, and it goes so far as to even reject a true apostle or put to death a righteous man like Uriah.

2. Potentially Damaging Personal Agendas in the Local Church

So if we see examples of this in the New Testament, do you think? And in the Old Testament, do you think this could ever happen in the local church? Now, as I look at older saints who have been around the block a few times, we’re going to shake our heads and say, yes. I’ve seen this. Where someone’s personal agenda was exalted above the best for a local congregation. Romans 15 again. That’s why I started there. Not just please ourselves, because Christ did not please himself, but what is good for others, the edification of others. What are some of the potentially damaging personal agendas that people can have in the local church? Now, this is a very practical lesson. That is, this relates to your agenda. What’s your agenda?

Sometimes people do what they do in local churches, and problems and upset occur. Again, I’m not suggesting any of that’s going on here. Because if it is, I don’t know about it. But these are motives that people have the influence and sway like Paul did as an apostle. And let’s just say it like it is. Some people are control freaks. They have an agenda and they want it done their way because their way is always right and always best. They want to make all the decisions. If they make a decision, it is right because they made it. That’s why it’s right. And so there are some people who set themselves up in local churches to be what I call kingpins. Their sphere. Boy, that sounds like another guy in the New Testament, doesn’t it?

What was that guy’s name in 3 John? Diotrophes. You think he had a personal agenda? Got to fit diatrophies in a lesson like this. One who loved to have the preeminence. Now, what have I always said about this? Some of you can quote me. Let’s say you become the most powerful, influential person in the local church. Everybody looks up to them. Everybody has them on the highest pedestal in the local church. Now listen. Let’s talk about pedestals in the local church. None of us belong on one. The Lord’s on the pedestal. We’re merely servants of his. And whatever effectiveness we might be able to attain, it is all about his favor, as we saw this morning, and his grace toward us, okay? We’re just his instruments.

But it is very easy to get carried away with ourselves and it becomes something like at Corinth, where it’s about self promotion. And so here you are. You have the most swaying influence. Perhaps you’re a preacher, or perhaps you’re an elder. And if you are that person or those persons, let me again remind you, as I have so often.

I’ve seen people in local churches just totally run that thing to the ground because of their agenda. Oh, they exercise the most power. They run off everybody who opposes them, and they have their sphere. 75 people. I mean, we really have my control, not just my family. I’d hate to see what their family life is like. When it’s always about their power, influence, and control. We control the local church. Oh boy, that’s 75 people. It’s really a small sphere of influence, isn’t it? Some people just want to throw their weight around. We must never delve into that kind of thinking in the local church. Or this, because somebody else seems to be more influential, to have more sway than I do. Then I want what he has, or I want what she has.

And it becomes the thing of jealousy. You know, there’s so much said about jealousy in the New Testament. Because people look at someone else and they have what I want to have. You people look at Paul. They wanted the kind of influence and sway that he had. And so I’m going to cut him down. I’ll trim him down to size. I’m going to diminish that brother that I don’t like. That’s what they’re doing with Paul. He must decrease, but I must increase. Oh, wait a minute. That’s the exact opposite of what the verse says, right? In John 3 and verse 30, where John the Baptist says of Jesus, he must increase. I must decrease. And I’ve always said if somebody comes along who wields more sway and influence in helping people to prepare their lives for eternity in the presence of God, then praise be to God that’s the case.

We’re on the same team. We ought to always remember. That’s what Paul is saying in Romans 14 and 15. You guys have different ideas on this matter of opinion, but you are on the same team. Don’t ever forget that. But I’ll tell you, I’m going to diminish his influence. I’m going to say things about him that make people think less of him. Sometimes people have the personal agenda of justifying family. Have you ever seen problems in the local church because somebody wants to justify the wrong behavior of somebody who is family? And what happens in that situation is that my family and how I want them to be treated by the local church that is embraced in fellowship, that becomes more important than the welfare of the rest of the group.

I’ve got to make this situation okay because this is about my image, my family’s image. This is about a relationship we want to sustain, and we’re going to make the local church get on board regardless of the destructive wake it brings. And don’t think that doesn’t happen in local churches. Sometimes the agenda is my comfort. That’s a big agenda for us. By all means, my comfort must reign supreme. And you know, if we sing a song, a new song, I don’t like new songs. It’s hard for me to learn new songs. Everybody else seems to like it, but it’s hard for me to learn this new song. Then I’m against all new songs. And I tell people everything that we sing was at one time or another a new song.

These don’t go back to the first century. Have you ever noticed that on the dates? Look at the dates in the book. All of these were new hymns once. Oh, no. I can’t learn a new hymn, even though once you’ve sung some of them four or five times, they’re like you sung them your whole life. They’re that you know, some are more difficult. I get that. But I just I don’t think these praise hymns are really saying good stuff. Well, there are some hymns that perhaps don’t have a greatest message as others, and I’ll just say this they probably won’t survive the cut long term. Not all songs survive the cut and are sung perpetually generation after generation. Something new comes along and replaces it probably won’t make it.

Oh, but we’ll just throw them all in a big category, all these new songs, there’s no substance to them. And really, is that it, really? Or is it? I just want to sing the old ones that I don’t have to work at because I know them by memory. I want to be a lazy worshiper. Or I don’t want to make any changes. Consider moving to a new property. Oh, our family’s been worshiping in this building for 40 years. Like, so? What about the growth of the local church? What are we going to do? Cramming here until we got 20 people on every row? I can’t put 20 people on this row. Well, we’re no, we got to this building. It’s all about this particular place and the brick and mortar here.

We’re staying here regardless. Oh, it can just cost too much money. Oh, it costs money to move. I mean, we’re definitely dealing with those thoughts and what we can do with our present facility. I understand all of that. But some people, it’s all they have all these reasons why we can’t do something. Oh, we can’t do it for this, and this. But you know what the real truth is a lot of times? Bottom line is they just don’t want to. They’re comfortable in this place where they’ve been for four decades and they don’t want to change. I always sometimes people just say it. It’s my comfort. I don’t want to do this because this is my comfort. Then maybe we could get somewhere with that agenda.

And a lot of what fuels all of this so often, even the jealousy here, and pointing it to, is that people get bitter. When, you know, misery loves company, as it is often said, when people get bitter about their lives, they tend to get bitter with other people. And expect that other people ought to have the same kind of bitterness about their lives, and I can just help you out with that. I can share some of my bitterness, and I can make your life a little more distasteful by promoting unhappiness in your life. I’m going to make your lives a little more difficult because I’m not happy.

3. My Agenda Needs to Match the Lord's Agenda

And they would never. And a lot of these things, a lot of the people with these personal agendas, they think they have all of these good reasons. They may not even be honest with themselves as to what their agenda was. I’m not sure if David was completely honest with himself about what his agenda really was. Until Nathan pointed out, you’re the man. Then he got it. Beware of the personal agenda. Now, where do we go with all of this? This is the concluding thought of the lesson. Here’s a novel idea. My agenda, my desires, need to match the Lord’s agenda.

You know, and a lot of these things we talked about in point number two about the damaging personal agendas. People, that guy’s got a problem, that guy’s got a problem, and you know, this guy’s got a problem. And rarely do people see that, you know, just maybe. It’s my problem. Maybe he’s not the problem. You know, let’s get rid of the preacher, because he said something that I didn’t like. We didn’t agree on this particular subject. Tony has a couple of strange ideas, at least I think they’re strange. And so I don’t like it. I’ve got to find a way to get rid of him. But what if that’s not in the best interests of the local church? Or even preachers sometimes have an agenda like, you know, I’d sort of like to retire here.

Let’s see, I’m gonna stay on here for another 15 years. I know you’re thinking this. Tony’s thinking he’s going to retire here.

I’m going to stay on here for another 15 years. It doesn’t matter if the numbers diminish, that people aren’t being helped, that the work isn’t growing, that everything’s become stagnant, and everybody’s tired of listening to Tony. He’s going to stay here because he’s going to retire here. Again, is my agenda matching the Lord’s agenda? It is so often the case, like Psalm 50 points out, that everybody thinks like I do. You know, just because God hasn’t punished you for your sins, that doesn’t mean that God is approving of your conduct. He will ultimately judge wrong behavior. But you thought he was just like you. And so I have this agenda, and after all, my agenda is always right and best, and so God’s agenda must be my agenda.

No. Christ did not please himself. If your agenda is to promote or please yourself, that is not Christ’s agenda. We read that in Romans 15 and verse 3 in the very beginning. What is his agenda? It is the equipping of the saints. Every man, every person being brought up in the likeness of Christ in his image, and producing his or her part in the local church. That read this. Ephesians 4 12 through 16. Growing up into all aspects into him who is the head, even Christ, speaking the truth in love, the whole body joined together by that which every member supplies. Here’s the agenda for the Decker Prairie Church. The equipping of the saints. Then we all grow into spiritual maturity in the likeness of Christ.

That’s what God wants for you and you and you, every one of us here. I need to buy into that agenda. This is not about me and what I might want and what might be best for me. This is about rendering us all as growing disciples of Jesus Christ. To render all of us in Christ living in a way that pleases him. Let us make sure as time passes. I know sermons aren’t remembered, sometimes not. I probably had to remind you that part three was building up part one, oh, those sermons. Oh, yeah, nightmares of the righteous. Yeah, that was last week. We slept seven times since then. This sermon may be forgotten, but what I don’t want you to forget is always be watching. Carefully monitoring what your motives are.

Conclusion

Especially in the midst of disagreement, especially when something is rubbing you the wrong way. You must constantly assess is my agenda, my desire, what I want here, does that match the Lord’s agenda? I know our elders have made decisions in the past that ruffled some feathers, but they were thinking, they were thinking what is best for the group as a whole. Because that’s their obligation. Not just one or two sheep, but all the sheep. We must make sure our agenda matches the Lord’s. Constantly watch that. Constantly monitor that. In conclusion, I would say that the Lord’s agenda is always your spiritual well-being and your spiritual well-being right now. Because now’s all we got. If the sun doesn’t rise tomorrow, then the issue is it not?

How are you spiritually right now? Do you need to bring yourself in alignment with the Lord’s agenda? Do you need to submit to the will of God for the cleansing of your soul while there’s time and opportunity? Have you been allowing yourself to sort of live your life by your own agenda rather than considering the Lord’s agenda for your life? If you need to respond in a public way to the invitation of our Lord, let’s stand and sing together.