Final Warnings by Pastor Steve Lombardo (1 Corinthians 13)

Jun 01, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Examine the Soil Where Your Roots Grow

Paul’s call to “test yourselves” mirrors a gardener checking soil quality. Just as tomato plants wither without fertile ground, faith stagnates when sin remains unchecked. This isn’t about superficial self-improvement but digging deep to confront what chokes spiritual vitality. The Corinthians avoided examining their compromises; Paul urges them to face the rot so grace might nourish new growth. Salvation begins with honest confession, but sanctification demands daily weeding. True life blooms where roots drink deeply of Christ’s forgiveness. [08:05]

“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? Unless indeed you fail to meet the test!”
(2 Corinthians 13:5, ESV)

Reflection: What area of your life feels like barren soil—routine, relationships, or habits—where little spiritual fruit grows? How might repentance “water” that ground today?

Day 2: When Weakness Becomes the Doorway to Power

Paul leans into the paradox of Christ’s crucifixion: strength born through surrender. The Corinthians craved flashy miracles, but Paul points to the scars of Jesus as the real proof of power. Just as a parent’s love persists through a child’s tantrums, God’s grace meets us in failure. Weakness isn’t a flaw to hide; it’s the crack where resurrection light breaks through. Sanctification isn’t self-help—it’s letting Christ’s strength fill our cracks. [06:33]

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
(2 Corinthians 12:9, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you resent your limitations? How might Christ’s power reshape that struggle into a testimony?

Day 3: The Holy Kiss in a Disinfected World

Greeting with a “holy kiss” meant risking germs—and far more. Paul insists faith thrives in proximity, not pixels. The pandemic exposed our hunger for real presence: Zoom couldn’t replicate shared tears or a hand on the shoulder. Like the Corinthians, we’re tempted to keep relationships filtered and safe. But discipleship requires skin in the game—awkward conversations, forgiven offenses, and showing up when it’s messy. [25:48]

“Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you.”
(2 Corinthians 13:12, ESV)

Reflection: Who have you kept at arm’s length to avoid discomfort? What step will you take this week to close that gap?

Day 4: Love’s Goal Isn’t Comfort, But Restoration

Paul’s warning to Corinth feels harsh until you see his tears. Love sometimes wears work gloves, not kid gloves. Enabling sin is like handing a drunk another drink; true love turns off the tap. The Corinthians preferred teachers who tickled their ears, but Paul disrupts their complacency. Real love fights for the best version of someone, even when it costs the relationship. [23:09]

“My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.”
(James 5:19–20, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you confused kindness with compromise? What hard truth might someone need you to gently speak?

Day 5: Crucified Tomatoes and the Fruit of Struggle

The pastor’s fruitless tomato plants mirror believers who avoid the shears of discipline. Pruning hurts, but abundance demands it. Paul’s letter cuts Corinth’s pride so humility might bud. Sanctification isn’t a passive process—it’s the daily choice to starve old habits and fertilize new ones. Resurrection life grows in the dirt of daily surrender. [17:32]

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
(Galatians 5:22–23, ESV)

Reflection: What “dead branch” have you been protecting—an attitude, grudge, or secret—that the Spirit urges you to surrender?

Sermon Summary

Paul lets the church hear his unfiltered heart. The letter sounds like tears on paper and joy in the same breath, because the church he planted matters to him. Paul names the stakes and the standard. On his third visit he will not spare unrepentant sin, and every charge must stand with two or three witnesses, the old path of Deuteronomy and the path Jesus reaffirmed. Christ sets the tone. He was crucified in weakness and now lives by the power of God. Paul embraces that same pattern. He is weak in Christ, yet will act with Christ’s power for the good of the church.

The text lays the first warning on the table. “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith.” The gospel carries the first cut. Sinners have to come clean and come to Christ. There is no sin Christ did not die for, and anyone who comes will never be cast out. The jailer’s question still has the same answer. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Then the text presses the second cut, sanctification. “Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?” If Christ lives in them, they have to deal with sin so Paul does not have to. Philippians says work out salvation with fear and trembling. Galatians names the war inside believers and the fruit the Spirit grows. Growth may be slow, but growth is real. The big bush with no tomatoes is not the goal. The old Baptist line fits. It takes a lot longer to lose it now.

Paul brings practical wisdom to the fight. Bodies matter. Jonathan Edwards watched his diet and habits so his mind stayed clear. Paul says he disciplines his body so he is not ruled by his appetites. That is not vanity. That is vigilance.

The second warning clarifies love. “We cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.” Love seeks restoration, not applause. Love is not enablement. Sometimes love draws a hard line so a soul can be brought back. Paul wants to use authority to build up, not tear down, but he will use it if needed.

The third warning pulls the church closer. “Greet one another with a holy kiss.” Presence matters. Zoom does not count. The pandemic proved that isolation starves the soul. The benediction carries the promise that holds the church together. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit will be with them as they deal with sin, discern real love, and draw near.

Key Takeaways

1. Deal with sin, starting now [07:45] Examination is a mercy because judgment is coming. Scripture gives a clear standard for truth telling and a clear path for repentance, so believers are not left guessing. If sin is faced today, discipline can be gentler tomorrow. If sin is dodged, love will still act, only more sharply when Paul arrives. [07:45]
2. Test faith with Christ in view [09:19] The point is not the size of faith, but its object. A mustard seed laid on Jesus holds more than a mountain of self-trust. Assurance grows as the soul returns to Christ’s promise that he never casts out the one who comes. Self-examination that ends at the Savior produces both clarity and comfort. [09:19]
3. Love tells truth without enabling [22:00] Truth aims at restoration, so love will not prop up patterns that destroy a person. Boundaries are not rejection, they are an invitation to return to sanity and life. Authority, rightly used, builds up by stopping what tears down. Kindness without truth becomes cruelty in slow motion. [22:00]
4. Draw near in embodied fellowship [25:10] Bodies and souls thrive in real presence. A handshake, a shoulder, a shared prayer, these carry grace that screens cannot transmit. Isolation breeds fear and relapse, but fellowship steadies the believer to keep in step with the Spirit. The God of love and peace meets his people as they meet each other. [25:10]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:52] - Unfiltered letter and passion
[03:55] - Affection and burden for churches
[05:56] - Third visit and witness standard
[06:33] - Examine yourselves in the faith
[08:27] - Grace for the worst sinners
[13:22] - Sanctification with Christ in you
[14:34] - Fruit of the Spirit vs flesh
[17:32] - Tomato plants and real fruit
[18:38] - Body, brain, and discipline
[21:21] - Love that refuses to enable
[23:31] - Authority that builds up
[25:10] - Draw near in embodied fellowship
[27:57] - Isolation’s toll and need for presence
[30:18] - Final charge to the church

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
2 Corinthians 13:1-14 (ESV)
1 This is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 2 I warned those who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again I will not spare them— 3 since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. 4 For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God. 5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 6 I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. 7 But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. 8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. 10 For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down. 11 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. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All the saints greet you. 14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Observation questions

What two standards does Paul emphasize for addressing sin in the church (v. 1)?
In verse 5, what two actions does Paul urge believers to take regarding their faith?
How does Paul contrast Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection in verse 4?
What practical instruction does Paul give for fellowship in verse 12, and why might this have been countercultural even then?

Interpretation questions

Why does Paul connect the requirement of “two or three witnesses” (v. 1) to Old Testament law and Jesus’ teachings? What does this reveal about accountability in the church?
How does Paul’s statement, “We are weak in him, but… we will live with him by the power of God” (v. 4) redefine strength and weakness for believers?
What does it mean to “test yourselves” (v. 5) in light of the assurance that “Jesus Christ is in you”? How does this balance self-examination with confidence in Christ?
Why might Paul link the command to “greet one another with a holy kiss” (v. 12) to the broader themes of restoration and peace in the passage?

Application questions

What specific sin or habit have you been avoiding confronting in your life? How could addressing it now prevent harsher consequences later? [07:45]
When doubts about your faith arise, how do you redirect your focus to the object of your faith (Christ) rather than the size of your faith? [09:19]
Think of a relationship where you’ve been tempted to enable sin instead of speaking truth. What is one loving but firm step you could take to encourage restoration? [22:00]
How can you prioritize “embodied fellowship” (like in-person prayer or shared meals) this week, especially if isolation has been your default? [25:10]
The sermon compared fruitless tomato plants to superficial growth. What “fruit” (e.g., patience, kindness) have you seen growing in your life recently? What areas still feel stagnant? [17:32]
How might practical habits like sleep, diet, or accountability relationships help you “discipline your body” to resist temptation? [19:44]
In what situations do you find it hardest to believe “no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace”? How could this truth reshape how you pray for others? [10:12]

Sermon Clips

48s

#ToughLoveRestore

“There's a difference between love and enablement. The apostle Paul is loving this church well. How? By being honest with them, by calling them to repentance, and by actually saying if they don't, he's gonna deal with it when he gets there. And this is what some might call tough love, but it's definitely not enablement. Now the goal of his love is to speak the truth, verse eight. We cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. And we pray that you're strong. Even though we're weak, we're going through persecutions, we want you to be strong, and your restoration is what we pray for. The goal of love always should be a person's restoration.”

41s

#BelieveForSalvation

“And the answer was memorize the 10 commandments. No. Go to church. No. Mind your p's and q's? No. Live a good life? No. The answer was, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. I don't know about you, but I am thankful for the simplicity of the gospel of Jesus Christ. So you wanna deal with your sin? Examine yourself today. Do you have faith in Jesus Christ alone as your lord and savior? But here's the second aspect of it, and I think this is more along the lines of what Paul is dealing with in this text. It's dealing with sin for our sanctification.”

33s

#MustardSeedFaith

“You say, well, how much faith do I need to have? I don't feel like I have a lot of faith. Well, you don't need much faith. You just need some faith. The faith of a mustard seed, Jesus says, can move mountains. So the the question isn't if you have doubts or questions or concerns or you don't understand all of the word of God. We're all there in some level. The question is though, who do you have your faith in? If it's just one ounce of faith, in Jesus Christ, he's gonna save you and deliver you from your sin. That's a that's the great grace of God. Praise God for that.”

33s

#TestYourFaith

“God in the flesh, stepped into time and space to go to the cross to pay for your sin that whoever believes in him would not perish but have everlasting life. You must deal with that sin problem if you wanna have any hope of forgiveness. You wanna have any hope of heaven, you have to deal with the problem of sin in your life. And the way that you do it is you bow the knee to the crucified and risen Jesus Christ. Test yourselves. So how do you test yourself? Let me ask you a question. Do you believe?”

32s

#LoveNotEnablement

“I'm I wanna use my authority to bless you and to encourage you and to lift you up. But if I have to come and deal with it, I'm gonna do it because I love you. Some of you have dealt with addiction in your life and family members, and you know the the the the hard line between love and enablement. And sometimes you gotta say to somebody, no. No more money for you. Sometimes you gotta say to somebody, you're not staying in our house any longer. You're not coming around my kids anymore. Why do you do that? Because you hate the person? No. You love the person. The goal is to help them, not enable them.”

43s

#RealChurchNotZoom

“And we thought that Zoom could fix all that. We can just do church by Zoom. The answer is no. Why? Because God created you as a relational being. First, to have a vertical relationship with him. He's your creator God. You're made in his image. And the only way you can have eternal joy in this life is knowing him by knowing his son Christ. But then horizontally, we are built for relationship with other people. The apostle Paul had this with the church. This is why it was so hard for him in some ways to write the letter. He's writing it in tears, but we, like the apostle Paul, have to tell the truth.”

34s

#FaithfulFriendships

“And so it's so important that each one of us, men, women, we actually have a relationship with somebody who's a believer. I'm not saying get rid of your unbelieving friends. That's an important aspect of being a Christian witness, but you should have as your closest friends in life, those who believe in Christ, those who share the same conviction that you do, those who know you and your struggles and can speak love and truth into your life, and you can do the same for them. That is an amazing thing. Do you have that?”

32s

#GreetWithTouch

“Zoom doesn't count. Greet one another with a holy kiss. Now the the holy kiss is a cultural thing. They still do that in some countries. Right? Kiss on two sides of the cheek. We don't practice when you greeted each other. I didn't see anybody giving each other holy kisses because our security team would take you out. But but what we but the point is you touch somebody. Right? You shake their hand. You say, how are you doing? You you you're there with somebody. Now the the goal is that's just a meet and greet time. We're all being nice to each other. The goal is to have somebody.”

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Final Warnings by Pastor Steve Lombardo (1 Corinthians 13)

Devotional

Day 1: Examine the Soil Where Your Roots Grow

Day 2: When Weakness Becomes the Doorway to Power

Day 3: The Holy Kiss in a Disinfected World

Day 4: Love’s Goal Isn’t Comfort, But Restoration

Day 5: Crucified Tomatoes and the Fruit of Struggle

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Final Warnings by Pastor Steve Lombardo (1 Corinthians 13)

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