Haven City Church Sermons

What happens when we ask God to remove a burden and it remains? In 2 Corinthians 12:1–10, Paul shares a painful struggle and the Lord’s surprising answer: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” As we follow this theme through 2 Corinthians, we’ll see how God works through fragile people to make the life of Jesus known and bring glory to his name.

In 2 Corinthians 11:16–33, Paul turns the usual picture of leadership upside down. Instead of boasting in status or strength, he points to the hardships he has endured and the care he carries for the church. His story ends not in triumph, but in a basket as he escapes through a city wall. This sermon invites us to reject harm disguised as strength, make room for honest weakness, and trust the God who sees and sustains his servants.

How do we stay devoted to the real Jesus when counterfeits look like light? In 2 Corinthians 11:1–15, Paul’s fierce love for the church drives him to confront messages that sound right but lead people away from Christ. His words call us to a sincere, undivided devotion, remind us that faithful ministry gives rather than exploits, and challenge us to test teaching by its faithfulness to Jesus rather than its polish. This sermon invites us to recognize spiritual deception without becoming cynical and return to the Savior who gave himself for his bride.

What do you do when people measure you by how you look, how you speak, and how you stack up? In 2 Corinthians 10:1-18, Paul answers critics in Corinth who called his letters strong and his presence weak. He appeals by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, and he refuses to fight with the weapons of the world. The weapons God gives tear down arguments raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ. Authority, Paul says, is for building people up, not tearing them down. The measuring stick we keep using on ourselves and on each other is the wrong one. God assigns the field. The Lord commends. Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.

What happens when a church has promised to give, and the day to follow through has come? In 2 Corinthians 9:1-15, Paul sends brothers ahead so the gift for the saints in Jerusalem will be ready as a willing gift, not something squeezed out. He will not let "you reap what you sow" become a demand. God loves a cheerful giver, and God is able to make all grace abound so his people have enough for every good work. The harvest he increases is righteousness, and the overflow is thanksgiving. The chapter does not end on Corinth's gift. It ends on God's: thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift.

What does love look like when someone must carry the responsibility, handle the money, and follow through? In this message, Josh Turansky explores how God’s grace produces people who care deeply, act willingly, and handle what has been entrusted to them with integrity. Through Titus and the messengers sent by the churches, Paul shows us that trustworthy ministry seeks what is honorable before both God and people. Genuine love becomes visible through shared responsibility, faithful service, and a willingness to finish what we have begun, all for the glory of Christ.

In 2 Corinthians 8:1–15, Paul shows how the grace of Jesus transforms our relationship with generosity. The Macedonian churches gave joyfully in the middle of poverty, not because they were pressured, but because they had first given themselves to the Lord. Their example points us to Christ, who became poor for our sake so that we might become rich in grace.

This message explores how genuine love moves from good intentions to practical action. God does not measure our generosity by comparison or gift size, but by a willing heart that faithfully responds with what we have.

What happens when conflict surrounds us and fear takes hold within? In 2 Corinthians 7:5–16, Paul shows us that God meets the downcast with comfort, often through the presence of other people. We also discover the difference between worldly grief, which leads toward death, and godly grief, which produces repentance, salvation without regret, renewed joy, and restored confidence.

This message invites us to receive the comfort God sends and allow hard truth to turn our hearts back toward him.

What should our relationships look like now that we belong to the living God?

Paul shows the Corinthians what New Covenant ministry looks like in practice: a life spent for others, marked by faithfulness under pressure and sustained by God's power rather than outward success. Then he makes his appeal. His heart is open toward them. Theirs has closed toward him.

That appeal comes with a warning. Some bonds contradict who God has made his people to be. Paul calls the church to leave what's incompatible with belonging to God and to make room for a shared life anyway, even in affliction.

This week, we ask what it means to receive faithful love, let go of divided loyalties, and open our hearts wide.

Paul's ministry didn't photograph well, and he knew it. In 2 Corinthians 5:11–6:2, he explains why he lives exposed before an audience of two: God and the conscience of the people he serves. The answer isn't discipline. It's a love that got hold of him and wouldn't let go. One died for all, so the old self-directed life is over, the old ways of sorting people are over, and anyone in Christ is a new creation. Then Paul takes us to the summit of the whole letter: God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting our trespasses, and he now makes his appeal through ordinary people. The sinless one was made sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. That leaves one question, and it isn't whether. It's when. Paul answers it twice: now is the favorable time, now is the day of salvation.