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Author:	Rev. Ted Gray
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Congregation:	First United Reformed Church
	Oak Lawn, Illinois
	www.oaklawnurc.org/

Title:	Responding to God's Benediction
Text:	2 Corinthians 13:1-14 (View)
Occasion:	Regular Sunday
Topic:	Life in Christ

Added:	2026-09-12

Order Of Worship (Liturgy)

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

The Tender Love a Father Has

Marvelous Grace of Our Loving Lord

God Our Father, we Adore Thee

Note for reading services: The text of this sermon is in both the ESV and the NIV (1984). The main difference in translations is in verse 13. There the NIV transliterates the text as “Finally, brothers, good-by…” while the ESV renders it, “Finally, brothers, rejoice...”

The NIV manuscript follows the ESV manuscript.

* As a matter of courtesy please advise Rev. Ted Gray, if you plan to use this sermon in a worship service. Thank-you.

ESV

“Responding to God’s Benediction”

2 Corinthians 13:1-14; text: v. 14

The benediction in 2 Corinthians 13:14 has been spoken innumerable times at the close of church services. It has been used throughout the centuries and around the globe. But it was inspired by the Holy Spirit, not just to be a conclusion to innumerable church services. It was given, in part, because the Corinthian church was a church with many divisions.

The church at Corinth fit the description of a contentious, divided church. There were many false accusations. That is why the chapter begins by warning them not to bring a charge – an accusation – against someone that cannot be established by the testimony of two or more witnesses.

Verse 2 contains another warning, as does verse 10. And, in verse 5, the Apostle tells the Corinthians – and us in God’s timeless word – to examine ourselves to see if we are truly people of faith, to see if Christ truly dwells within us.

Consequently, by the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, the apostle Paul pronounced on them a blessing that if they took it to heart, would cause them to rejoice in the Lord and to live in peace with one another. It is a blessing that takes our thoughts from hostility and discord to praise and adoration.

The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ

The benediction instills praise and adoration because, first of all, it points us to the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is seen in every aspect of his redemptive work. It was an action of his grace – his unmerited favor to us – that he left the glory of heaven and came to this earth to suffer and die for sinners.

But we see the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, not only at the cross, but in all his gracious actions during the time of his life on earth. His life leading up to the cross was a life of mercy and grace, even though it was a life of suffering for him. John 1:16-17 reminds us: “…From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

And throughout his life that grace was evident. When John the Baptist was in prison, his faith wavered. He sent his disciples to Jesus to ask: “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?

“And Jesus answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them’” (Matt. 11:2-5).

Every leper cleansed, every person who received back their sight, each one who was healed from an otherwise incurable disease, and those who were raised back again to life, are all witnesses to the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

But it is still at the cross where his grace is most evident. It was there that “For our sake he (God the Father) made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). It was there at the cross that we see most clearly, the truth of 2 Corinthians 8:9, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” Spiritually rich – beyond measure!

No matter what sin is in your life, and no matter what sin is in my life, if we confess our sins in humble repentance and true saving faith, we have assurance that our sins are forgiven because of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ who offered himself on the cross of Calvary for sinners.

Not Just in Retrospect

However, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, is not just seen in retrospect as we look back at his life and sacrificial death. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is experienced each and every day in your life and in mine in more ways than we can imagine.

Take, for example, your prayer life. Who sanctifies your prayers and presents them perfectly to the Father? It is Jesus the Son, who intercedes on our behalf, and even now is at the right hand of God the Father sanctifying our prayers, as does the Holy Spirit who intercedes, we are told in Romans 8, with groans too deep for words on our behalf.

Through Christ’s work of intercession, we experience the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ as he sympathizes with us, as he sanctifies our prayers, and as he strengthens us. We sing about that in many of our hymns. One of the familiar old hymns reminds us -

What a Friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer!

As Hebrews 4:15-16 point out: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Not only do we experience grace after grace through the work of Christ in the past, through his perfect life and sacrificial death, and not only do we experience grace after grace through his present work of intercession at the right hand of his heavenly Father, but we will also experience the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in the future, throughout all eternity.

Throughout all eternity we will reign with Christ over the new heavens and the new earth. There will never be a time when we will not experience – and rejoice greatly – in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. We already experience that in principle but will experience it in its fullness throughout all eternity. Ephesians chapter 2 describes how “… God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—"

And then this remarkable statement is made in Ephesians 2:6-9: "And (God the Father) raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

You see, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is perpetual. His grace is not just seen in the past with his sacrificial death and glorious resurrection. Rather, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is experienced each day in the present as He intercedes for us, and rules and reigns from the right hand of his heavenly Father. And in the future, throughout all eternity, we will experience the immeasurable riches of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ!

The Love of God the Father

The second part of the benediction focuses on the love of God the Father. It is after all, the love of the God the Father that led to the giving of the Son. It was because “…God so loved the world, that he gave his only (begotten) Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

As a father shows compassion to his children,

so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.

For he knows our frame;

he remembers that we are dust.

And yet God the Father is a just God. He is not a father who can look the other way when his children live in sin. There must be a just punishment for sin, for otherwise God would not be a just and holy God.

Consequently, God the Father, in love beyond our comprehension, gave his Son to be the sacrifice to bring salvation to you and to me. In the words of Romans 3:25-26, “God put him forward – (presented him) – as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith…It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” As a just God, the Lord must punish sin. He did that by sending his Son for all who have saving faith in him alone. But whoever does not trust in Christ alone for salvation from sin, will face the consequences of their sin, an eternity in the reality of hell.

Either you and I will be punished for our sins. Or, if you and I have true saving faith in Christ alone this evening/morning, then we can be assured that he took the punishment that we deserve for our sins upon himself.

While John 3:16 is perhaps the best known verse in the Bible, few people seem to take to heart the verses that follow, including John 3:18: “Whoever believes in him (Christ) is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

Love That Transcends Time

Just as the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ transcends time, so also does the love of God the Father, for he loved us before the world began. In the words of Ephesians 1:4-6: “…He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.”

And that love of the Father is still so very active in our lives. We are taught to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” and who is it who supplies our day-to-day needs? It is our Father in heaven. He watches over us. He provides for us. He protects us. He holds us in the palm of his hand as we are given double protection, held both in the hand of the Father and the Son so that nothing can snatch us away, just as Jesus declares in John 10:28-3.

And throughout eternity we will experience the fullness of that love. In the account of the prodigal – or lost – son that Jesus told in Luke 15 we see a picture of the Father’s love for us. Luke 15 describes how “While he (the prodigal son who had squandered his inheritance on prostitutes and worldly pleasures) was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

“And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.”

In eternity past, long before you and I were born, we experienced the love of the Father as he predestined us to live to the praise of his glorious grace. He also set the exact moment in history for our lives to begin, and to come to a close here on earth, for all our days were written in his book before one of them came into being as Psalm 139 so beautifully puts it.

In the present we are blessed by his loving kindness in more ways than we can count, and throughout eternity we will be surrounded by those everlasting arms. Just as the prodigal son was welcomed home and given a joyous feast, so we will bask in the love of the Father at the wedding feast of the Lamb when Christ returns.

The Fellowship of the Holy Spirit

A third great blessing in this benediction focuses on the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Did you realize that this is the only benediction written by Paul which mentions the Father, Son and Holy Spirit? Most of the benedictions in the Bible, and most of the salutations – those greetings which begin most of the New Testament letters – mention only the Father and the Son.

That is not due to any shortsightedness on the part of the apostle Paul and the other writers of the New Testament. They were themselves inspired by the Holy Spirit. But the Holy Spirit’s desire is not to call attention to himself but to focus our eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ, so that with joyful faith we see that we are reconciled to our triune God, despite our sinful condition.

It is by the Holy Spirit’s desire that he is not put in the forefront, but rather all the glory is given to Christ. And then in the words of 1 Corinthians 15:27-28 the Son will give all the glory to his heavenly Father so that “God may be all in all.”

But just because the Holy Spirit does not seek the glory, but rather serves as the spotlight to glorify the Son and the Father, it doesn’t mean that his work is any less necessary. The Holy Spirit is true God, one with the Father and the Son. He was active in creation, already mentioned in Genesis 1:2 as “hovering over the waters.” It is by his inspiration that the Scriptures were written. We would never know the way of salvation and we would never know what it means to have faith in Jesus Christ and to be saved from the consequences of our sin, if it were not for the Holy Spirit.

In addition to inspiring the Bible to be written, the Holy Spirit is also the one who gives us the gift of faith, as we are born again – literally, born from above – by the Holy Spirit’s regenerating power. Then the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin, but also gives us spiritual sight to see our Savior – to see the fullness of God’s grace revealed in Christ Jesus. And through faith in him – faith given by the Holy Spirit – we have eternal life with Christ in the glory yet to be revealed.

In the words of Titus 3:4-7, “When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

You see, each member of the Trinity works in harmony with the other members. And each one contributes to our salvation in unique ways. In this benediction, for instance, we are reminded that our fellowship with the Holy Spirit gives us fellowship – sweet, wonderful fellowship – with one another, with brothers and sisters in Christ. As Christians we have the only lasting bond and true fellowship that can be found in this life. Because of the Holy Spirit, we have fellowship with our triune God, but also fellowship one with another.

And that fellowship is eternal. Nothing can sever that bond of fellowship. Throughout eternity we will rejoice in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit as we gather with God’s people from all the ages, and from every tribe, nation and tongue, to fellowship with God, and each other, as we live and reign with Christ!

Joyful Unity and Spiritual Growth

This benediction is one of the best-known benedictions in Scripture. But what purpose does it serve? Is it just a pleasant way to end the service? Is it just the long-anticipated pronouncement that the worship service is almost over?

A benediction differs from a prayer. The content of each might be the same. For instance, prayer might request petitions from God asking for his grace, love, and fellowship to be realized and strengthened in the lives of his people. But a benediction is a pronouncement from God himself. In a benediction God blesses his people by declaring what he will do for them. As such, a benediction instills in the heart of every true believer gratitude and praise.

If we are truly grateful for the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, then our response will be to have that joyful unity and spiritual growth which verses 11 to 13 describe.

Those verses focus on the unity that believers have with their triune God and with one another. It is a universal unity that transcends the miles. For instance, the apostle Paul wrote this from Macedonia, in the northern part of Greece, and Corinth was in the southern part of Greece, which was a sizable distance to travel in those days. And yet they were called to have unity with one another as true believers, even greeting each other with a holy kiss. That holy kiss, incidentally, is similar to a handshake or a hug today.

As the apostle closes the letter, he writes, in verse 11, “Finally, brothers, rejoice.” If you truly know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, then you and I have great reason to rejoice!

But verse 11 also challenged the Corinthians – and challenges us – to grow spiritually and to live in unity and peace, as verse 11 continues: “Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.”

The Corinthian church had been splintered by division. There was a great need for unity and spiritual growth within that congregation, as indeed is necessary in every congregation and every individual, including you and me. And one of the best ways to experience spiritual growth, and to live in peace with God and with one another, is to reflect on what it means to know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

It is indeed a wonderful blessing to reflect on the work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, not only redeeming us from our sin, but also leading, providing, guiding, and protecting us through the pilgrimage of this life.

And when we reflect – when we meditate – on these truths, then we will rejoice, and then we will endeavor to live in peace with one another as we grow in our knowledge, love, and service in the eternal kingdom of our gracious, triune God. Amen!

bulletin outline:

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the

fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. - 2 Corinthians 13:14

“Responding to God’s Benediction”

2 Corinthians 13:14

I. 2 Corinthians 13:14 is one of the best-known benedictions as it

stresses:

1) The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ

2) The love of God the Father

3) The fellowship of the Holy Spirit

II. Our response: Joyful unity and spiritual growth (11-13), which only

comes by knowing the blessing of the benediction (14)

_______________

NIV

"Responding to God's Benediction"

2 Corinthians 13:1-14; text: v. 14

The benediction in 2 Corinthians 13:14 has been spoken innumerable times at the close of church services. It has been used throughout the centuries and around the globe. But it was inspired by the Holy Spirit, not just to be a conclusion to many church services. It was given, in part, because the Corinthian church was a church with many divisions.

Verse 2 contains another warning, as does verse 10. And, in verse 5, the Apostle tells the Corinthians – and us – to examine ourselves to see if we are truly people of faith, to see if Christ truly dwells within us.

But we see the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, not only at the cross, but in all His gracious actions during the time of his life on earth. His life leading up to the cross was a life of mercy and grace, even though it was a life of suffering for him. John 1:16-17 reminds us: “…From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

And throughout his life that grace was evident. When John the Baptist was in prison, his faith wavered. He sent his disciples to Jesus to ask: “Are you the One who is to come, or shall we look for another?”

But it is still at the cross where his grace is most evident. It was there that “He who had no sin became sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). It was there at the cross that we see most clearly, the truth of 2 Corinthians 8:9, “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” Spiritually rich beyond measure!

No matter what sin is in your life, and no matter what sin is in my life, if we confess it in humble repentance and saving faith, we have that assurance that it is forgiven because of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ who offered himself on the cross of Calvary for sinners.

Take, for example, your prayer life. Who sanctifies your prayers and presents them perfectly to the Father? It is Jesus the Son, who intercedes on our behalf, and even now is that the right hand of God the Father sanctifying our prayers, as does the Holy Spirit who intercedes, we are told in Romans 8, with groans too deep for words on our behalf.

Through Christ’s work of intercession, we experience the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ as he sympathizes with us, sanctifies our prayers, and strengthens us. We sing about that in many of our hymns. One of the familiar old hymns reminds us -

What a Friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer!

As Hebrews 4:15-16 point out: “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet without sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Throughout all eternity we will reign with Christ over the new heavens and the new earth. There will never be a time when we will not experience – and rejoice greatly – in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. We already experience that in principle but will experience it in its fullness throughout all eternity. Ephesians 2 describes how “...Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”

And then this remarkable statement is made in Ephesians 2:6-9: “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is perpetual. His grace is not just seen in the past with his sacrificial death and glorious resurrection. Rather, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is experienced each day in the present as He intercedes for us, and rules and reigns from the right hand of His heavenly Father. And in the future, throughout all eternity, we will experience the immeasurable riches of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ!

The Love of God the Father

The second part of the benediction focuses on the love of God the Father. It is after all, the love of the God the Father that led to the giving of the Son. It was because “God so loved the world that he gave his only (begotten) Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life”(John 3:16).

The 103^rd Psalm beautifully describes the love of the Father as being “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in love.” And that Psalm goes on to point out the love and compassion of our heavenly Father in verse 13-14: “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.”

Consequently, God the Father, in love beyond our comprehension, gave his Son to be the sacrifice to bring salvation to you and to me. In the words of Romans 3:25-26, “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement – propitiation – through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith... He did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”

Just as the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ transcends time, so also does the love of God the Father, for he loved us before the world began. In the words of Ephesians 1:4-6: “He chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the one he loves.”

And that love of the Father is still so very active in our lives. We are taught to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” and who is it who supplies our day-to-day needs? It is our Father in heaven. He watches over us. He provides for us. He protects us. He holds us in the palm of His hand as we are given double protection, held both in the hand of the Father and the Son just as John 10:28-30 declares.

And throughout eternity we will experience the fullness of that love. In the account of the prodigal – or lost – son that Jesus told in Luke 15 we see a picture of the Father’s love for us. Luke 15 describes how “While he (the prodigal son) was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

In eternity past, long before you and I were born, we experienced the love of the Father as He predestined us to live to the praise of his glorious grace. He also set the exact moment in history for our lives to begin, and to come to a close here on earth, for all our days were written in his book before one of them came into being as Psalm 139 so beautifully puts it.

The Fellowship of the Holy Spirit

That is not due to any shortsightedness on the part of the apostle Paul and the other writers of the New Testament. They were themselves inspired by the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit’s desire is not to call attention to himself, but to focus our thoughts and our faith on the Lord Jesus Christ, and the reconciliation with God the Father that we have through faith in him.

It is by the Holy Spirit’s desire that he is not put in the forefront, but rather all the glory is given to Christ, and then in the words of 1 Corinthians 15:27-28 the Son will give all the glory to his heavenly Father so that “God may be all in all.”

Each member of the Trinity works in harmony with the other members. And each one contributes to our salvation in unique ways. In this benediction, for instance, we are reminded that our fellowship with the Holy Spirit gives us fellowship – sweet, wonderful fellowship – with one another, with brothers and sisters in Christ. As Christians we have the only lasting bond and true fellowship that can be found in this life. Because of the Holy Spirit, we have fellowship with our triune God, but also fellowship one with another.

And that fellowship is eternal, nothing can sever that bond of fellowship. Throughout eternity we will rejoice in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit as we gather with God’s people from all the ages, and from every tribe, nation and tongue, to fellowship with God, and each other, as we live and reign with Christ.

Joyful Unity and Spiritual Growth

A benediction differs from a prayer. The content of each might be the same. For instance, prayer might request petitions from God asking for his grace, love, and fellowship to be realized and strengthened in the lives of h!is people. But a benediction is a pronouncement from God himself. In a benediction God blesses his people by declaring what he will do for them. As such, a benediction instills in the heart of every true believer gratitude and praise.

Those verses focus on the unity that believers have with their triune God and with one another. It is a universal unity that transcends the miles. For instance, the apostle Paul wrote this from Macedonia, in the northern part of Greece, and Corinth was in the southern part of Greece, which was a sizable distance in those days. And yet they were called to have unity with one another as true believers, even greeting each other with a holy kiss. That holy kiss, incidentally, is similar to a handshake or a hug today.

As the apostle closes the letter, he writes, “finally, brothers, good-by.” That is the way the NIV pew Bible (1984) translates the beginning of verse 11. However, The Greek word that Paul uses in his farewell is not simply, “good-by” but “rejoice”! If you truly know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, then you and I have great reason to rejoice!

Paul also challenged the Corinthians to grow spiritually and to live in unity and peace. In the ESV, verse 11 is translated as, “Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.”

The Corinthian church had been splintered by division. There was a great need for unity and spiritual growth within that congregation. And one of the best ways to experience spiritual growth, and to live in peace with God and with one another, is to reflect on what it means to know the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

____

It is indeed a wonderful blessing to reflect on the work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, not only redeeming us from our sin, but also leading, providing, and protecting us through the pilgrimage of this life.

And when we reflect on that, then we will rejoice and will try to live in peace with one another as we grow in our knowledge, love, and service in the eternal kingdom of our gracious, triune God. Amen.

Bulletin outline:

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the