Tamil Christian Message

2 Corinthians 10:1-6

Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you. ² But I beg you that when I am present I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some, who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. ³ For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. ⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, ⁵ casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, ⁶ and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. 1. Compassion. An effective soldier is compassionate. He is compassionate.

The best soldiers only use deadly force when they are absolutely required to!

2. Courageous

Paul is not only compassionate, but he is courageous. 3. Competent/Equipped. Without competence, courage becomes folly. Without confidence, courage becomes folly.

Who is your enemy? Recognizing him, getting him when he is vulnerable. He knows there is an appropriate, propitious time and place when the enemy is clearly in sight and clearly defined. V 6, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

The delay has nothing to do with cowardice. He is ready. A direct threat to those who know they are to be obedient to Christ but refuse to do it.

Why is he waiting? Paul is talking to the church. Whenever the church collectively is complete in its obedience. Everybody who is true to the gospel has taken his stand. When you people are all finally agreeing to be obedient, and it is clear who the remainder are, then I am going to act.

I do not want to get you in the line of fire. This soldier does not shoot everybody. This soldier is compassionate and gracious and gentle with those who respond, and with the rest, he comes with a fierce, warlike attitude.

How do we deal in this world in the spiritual warfare? Tenderly, patiently, compassionately, courageously. There are times like that, but the spiritual battle must be fought. You need to be compassionate, courageous, and competent.

Times in spite we have submitted to God, yet we take it up on ourselves to fight against the enemy physically. Let me take King David as our example. David and Goliath.

Goliath

1 Samuel 17:4-7, And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. ⁵ He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. ⁶ And he had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders. ⁷ Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a shield-bearer went before him.

David

1 Samuel 17:14-15, David was the youngest. And the three oldest followed Saul. ¹⁵ But David occasionally went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.

Meeting

1 Samuel 17:16, And the Philistine drew near and presented himself forty days, morning and evening.

1 Samuel 17:37-39, Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!” ³⁸ So Saul clothed David with his armour, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. ³⁹ David fastened his sword to his armour and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off.

Now David knew what the weapon he needed to fight the enemy.

1 Samuel 17:41-46, So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him. ⁴² And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. ⁴³ So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. ⁴⁴ And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!” ⁴⁵ Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

1 Samuel 17:50-51, So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. ⁵¹ Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. Goliath had sword! David had none.

The sword could not save the holder of that, Goliath. The sword was brought back to the tent of David.

1 Samuel 17:54, And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armour in his tent. Saul become envy of David because of the singers ascribed more to him. David marries Michal, the Saul’s daughter.

Saul tries to kill David. David flees from him and take refuge with Samuel. Because David knew he can get a Godly counsel with Samuel.

1 Samuel 19:18-24, So David fled and escaped, and went to Samuel at Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth. ¹⁹ Now it was told Saul, saying, “Take note, David is at Naioth in Ramah!” ²⁰ Then Saul sent messengers to take David. And when they saw the group of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as leader over them, the Spirit of

God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. ²¹ And when Saul was told, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. Then Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also. ²² Then he also went to Ramah, and came to the great well that is at Sechu. So he asked, and said, “Where are Samuel and David?” And someone said, “Indeed they are at Naioth in Ramah.” ²³ So he went there to Naioth in Ramah. Then the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on and prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. ²⁴ And he also stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”

When David was with Samuel he was protected by God and His presence. Now David uses his friend Jonathan who happened to be the son of Saul waiting to take over the throne from his father. Now David escapes again and running from Saul. This time David does not run back to Samuel rather he runs to Nob, which is a city of refuge.

1 Samuel 21:1, Now David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was afraid when he met David, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one is with you?” David asks for bread for himself and they were fed by the bread which was kept at the altar.

1 Samuel 21:8-9, And David said to Ahimelech, “Is there not here on hand a spear or a sword? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.” ⁹ So the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, there it is, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it. For there is no other except that one here.” And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”

What did David forget to remember? The sword in the hands of Goliath could not save him. Now David putting his trust in the sword of Goliath!

How could that be?

Where did the sword lead David? Gath!

Where is Goliath from? Gath.

1 Samuel 17:4, And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.

Strange, is it not?

1 Samuel 21:10-15, Then David arose and fled that day from before Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. ¹¹ And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing of him to one another in dances, saying: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands’? ¹² Now David took these words to heart, and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. ¹³ So he changed his behavior before them, pretended madness in their hands, scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva fall down on his beard. ¹⁴ Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see the man is insane. Why have you brought him to me? ¹⁵ Have I need of madmen, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?” A mighty warrior of God. Used by God to deliver Israel.

Now he has to pretend like a madman to save himself. Sad and tragic.

Solomon

Solomon was the wisest man ever lived in the Old Testament.

1 Kings 3:11-13, Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, ¹² behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. ¹³ And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honour, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. ¹⁴ So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”

1 Kings 4:29-32, And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. ³⁰ Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. ³¹ For he was wiser than all men—than Ethan

the Ezrahite, and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. ³² He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five.

Proverbs 5:18, Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice with the wife of your youth.

Proverbs 12:4, An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, But she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones.

Proverbs 14:1, The wise woman builds her house, But the foolish pulls it down with her hands.

Proverbs 18:22, He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favour from the Lord.

Proverbs 19:14, Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers, But a prudent wife is from the Lord.

1 Kings 11:3-6, And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. ⁴ For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David. ⁵ For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. ⁶ Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as did his father David. How did he go so low? History reveals that Solomon was very aggressive in his foreign policy. In sealing treaties in ancient days, it was customary for a lesser king to give his daughter in marriage to the greater king (in this case, Solomon). Every time a new treaty was sealed, Solomon ended up with yet another wife. These wives were considered tokens of friendship and “sealed” the relationship between the two kings. In the process of doing all this, Solomon was utterly disobedient to the Lord. He was apparently so obsessed with power and wealth that it overshadowed his spiritual life and he ended up falling into apostasy. He worshipped some of the false gods of the women who became married to him. Moreover, in marrying more than one woman, Solomon was going against God’s revealed will regarding monogamy. From the very beginning God created one woman for one man.

Genesis 1:27; 2:21-25).

Deuteronomy 17:16-17, But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall not return that way again.’ ¹⁷ Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself.

Explicitly instructed the king not to “multiply wives.”

Conclusion

Galatians 3:3, Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?

We need to pursue Spiritual maturity in our walk with the Lord. 1. Must Have the Right Attitude—a Holy Discontent.

Philippians 3:12, Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Paul was probably the greatest Christian to ever live. He wrote almost half of the New Testament. His ministry led to the Gentile world being reached. Yet, he saw himself having not fully attained Christlikeness. This disposition is true of every great athlete. They are never content with their successes. And therefore, they continue to work hard to become better and to win more championships. Be careful of spiritual contentment. Having the right attitude is important to not be led astray into false teachings that emphasize “perfectionism”. If a person thinks they have attained perfection, then there is no reason to continue to grow and seek Christ.

2. Must Have the Right Effort

Philippians 3:13, Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, Why are so many Christians not growing in maturity? For many of them, they are not willing to “press.”

They are not willing to work hard to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of them. If we were honest in our evaluation of one another in the church, many people work hard but at things other than their spiritual lives.

They work hard, even at times forgoing sleep, to get a project done for school or work. They get up early to go to a job interview, but many never do that for the kingdom of God.

That was Paul’s continuous labour. Paul worked hard and he pressed to become like Christ.

3. Must Have the Right Focus

Philippians 3:13, Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, Very few people are great at more than one thing. The great businessman, the great musician, the great athlete, the great scholar, many of them became great because of their focus.

Jeremiah 29:11-14, For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. ¹² Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.

Matthew 6:33, But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

4. Must Have the Right Practice

Philippians 3:14-15, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. A great athlete never neglects his basic disciplines.

The basketball player practices dribbling, shooting, passing, and defence repeatedly. The runner focuses on the swing of his arms, the distance of his stride, breathing, and pacing himself. All athletes are faithful in practicing the basics which eventually makes them successful in competition.

It is the same with a spiritual athlete pursuing maturity in Christ. In order to pursue spiritual maturity, we must have the right practice. If we are faithful with what God has already revealed to us, he will give us more. We will know Christ more and grow in Christlikeness.