Yes and No and the Faithfulness of God

In one paragraph

Pastor Steve opened with Philippians 3:10 and led the congregation in "He Arose" before the service moved through announcements, a missions report from the Cabo San Lucas trip, and an offering prayer from elder Steve Landis. The sermon itself was a continuation of a series in 2 Corinthians, working through chapter 1 verses 12 through 24, picking up where the previous week left off. Last week's...

Read together

1. Philippians 3:10 opened the service to frame Christians as resurrection people experiencing God's power now
2. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 recap of last week, God comforts us in affliction so we can comfort others
3. 2 Corinthians 1:9 affliction teaches us to rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead
4. 2 Corinthians 1:12-24 the main passage for the sermon, Paul defending his sincerity and travel plans
5. 1 Corinthians 5:9 used to show Paul wrote an earlier letter before what we call First Corinthians
6. 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 Paul came not with lofty wisdom but in weakness so faith would rest in the power of God
7. James 5:12 let your yes be yes and your no be no, so you do not fall under condemnation
8. Matthew 5:33-37 Jesus teaching not to swear oaths but to let your yes be yes and your no be no
9. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 God establishes us in Christ, has anointed and sealed us and given His Spirit as a guarantee

Talk about it

1. Kurt and Andy described seeing children in Los Cabos split a small snack to share with a sibling or friend, and one of them said 'we are so blessed in this country.' What does that kind of generosity from people who have so little stir up in you personally?
2. The sermon revisited the idea that God comforts us in our affliction so that we have the power, the 'dunamis,' to comfort others. Lauren Fry's story was given as an example of someone who sought first the kingdom even in the middle of personal crisis. Can you think of a time when going through something hard gave you the ability to help someone else in a way you couldn't have otherwise?
3. Paul wrote that all the promises of God find their yes in Jesus Christ. What is a promise from Scripture that you have had to trust during a season when circumstances were saying no?
4. The sermon pointed out that Paul defended his changed travel plans not as wishy-washy behavior but as following the Spirit, and that he held back from returning to Corinth 'to spare' the Corinthians rather than to avoid them. How do you personally discern the difference between a Spirit-led change of plans and just avoiding a hard situation?
5. Paul wrote to the Corinthians out of 'much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain, but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.' Is there a relationship in your own life where speaking a hard truth felt like the most loving thing you could do, and how did you handle it?