“I know there is a God—I see the storm coming and I see His hand in it—if he has a place then I am ready—we see the hand.”
John F. Kennedy
Passage
1And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain—
2for He says, “At the acceptable time I listened to you, And on the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of salvation”—
3giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited,
4but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses,
5in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger,
6in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love,
7in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left,
8by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true;
9as unknown yet well-known, as dying yet behold, we live; as punished yet not put to death,
10as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things.
11Our mouth has spoken freely to you, O Corinthians, our heart is opened wide.
12You are not restrained by us, but you are restrained in your own affections.
2 Corinthians 6:1–12 (NASB95)
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Background
Quote-John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. Kennedy was the youngest person to assume the presidency by election. He was also the youngest president at the end of his tenure.[2] Kennedy served at the height of the Cold War, and the majority of his work as president concerned relations with the Soviet Union and Cuba. A Democrat, Kennedy represented Massachusetts in both houses of the U.S. Congress prior to his presidency.
Passage-The book of 2nd Corinthians is a Pauline Epistle (letter from Paul). The Apostle Paul wrote it about 56 A.D. The key personalities of this book are the Apostle Paul, Timothy, and Titus. Paul wrote this letter to the church in Corinth to defend and protect his Apostleship, and to teach and warn against false teachers who were spreading heresy.
Lesson Notes
Opening Statement
The storm is a personal difficulty, a tribulation, a trial, a hardship. It is something others have gone through before but this time it is ours, not someone else’s. This makes the storm unique, unknown, and terrifying. It is unique because we are unique in how we’ve lived making what looks like the same to people on the outside unique to each of us.
Ask: What is the next storm of life that’s going to hit you?
Point: You may know because you are already in one, you may see it coming but not there yet, it may be far off, or it may be unknown in the midst of the sunshine.
Ask: Is having “not a care in the world” realistic for the entirety of a lifetime?
Point: No, because life has ups and downs for as long as we live it.
Ask: Is that sentiment cause for despair?
Point: For some it is, but it should not be. As the JFK quote said, if we see the hand of God in the storm He is also there to walk with us.
12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.
13For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
16For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.
17He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
Colossians 1:12–17 (NASB95)
Ask: Is it offensive or contradictory to think that God made the trouble of life that befalls people? Does it sound like God is causing them problems?
Point: That isn’t the point of the statement that God made all things including the troubles of this life.
Ask: How can it not be contradictory to say that God made everything but he didn’t make the problems we face as we live life?
Point: Read…
5For each one will bear his own load.
6The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him.
7Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
8For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Galatians 6:5–8 (NASB95)
Ask: How does the Galatians passage solve the appearance of a contradiction between God making the problems of life but them being us reaping what we have sown?
Point: God made everything. He set down the rules of how it operates meaning He outlined the consequences of good and bad decisions. Thus, God is responsible for the hardships of life which are the consequences of bad choices made by either us or someone else.
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2He was in the beginning with God.
3All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
John 1:1–3 (NASB95)
Ask: Who is “The Word?”
Point: Jesus Christ.
Ask: Why is that important?
Point: Jesus is the hand of God in creation, the voice of God that spoke everything into existence. He is the One who is there for us.
Ask: How do we know that?
Point: Read…
1I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come?
2My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.
3He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber.
Psalm 121:1–3 (NASB95)
Re-read the first four verses of today’s passage…
1And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain—
2for He says, “At the acceptable time I listened to you, And on the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of salvation”—
3giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited,
4but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses,
2 Corinthians 6:1–4 (NASB95)
Ask: The rest of today’s passage from the second half of four to twelve are all things that trouble people in life, the storm, that God walks with us “in.” How is God “in” all of that with us?
Point: Re-read verse 2 above…
Ask: What is the “day of salvation?”
Point: The day Jesus was crucified on the cross for the sins of all the world.
Ask: How do we ensure God is “in” our storm with us? How do we make sure His hand is in it as the JFK quote says with us?
Point: Re-read verse 1 from today’s passage…
1And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain—
2 Corinthians 6:1 (NASB95)
Closing Statement
By working together with Him. That means walking the path God has for our lives. It doesn’t mean turning left and heading off into the weeds. It means, regardless of the storm we see coming, continuing on the direction He indicates we should go. God doesn’t promise us a life without storms. God promises us He will be there in the storm with us. Like Peter suddenly sinking as he walked on water toward Jesus, when we take His outstretched hand it lifts us up, sets us ontop of the water, and helps us back into the boat with Him. Focus on the Son, the Comforter, and the Father not the Wind, Rain, and Storm. If we keep our eyes set on the Son, we will see the sun soon enough.
Questions for the Week
Question 1 Do you have a journal for 2023? It’s okay to keep using the same one you had for 2022 if it’s not full yet or get a new one.
Question 2 Spend some time listing the storms you are in now, those you see coming, and those you think (or worry) might be just over the horizon.
Question 3 Find at least one scripture that speaks hope into that list you just made.
Question 4 Spend as much or as little time in prayer about your list, that scripture, and finding God’s path for you. Close that prayer with the Lord’s Prayer. If you aren’t sure what to pray in your own words, just praying the Lord’s prayer is fine.