The context of these verses is the Apostle Paul defending the authenticity as the true apostle of the Lord Jesus
because his gospel is authentic and therefore his ministry is authentic.
He's being challenged consistently by this church of Corinth who are being swayed away to follow a group of people
who we will discover in a few weeks as the super apostles.
This gives us clarity too on what it means for us to be an authentic follower of the Lord Jesus.
What does it look like to be a disciple of Jesus?
And what Paul has written in 2 Corinthians 3, 4 and now 5 is meant to help us to not lose heart as a follower of Christ.
He mentions not losing heart in chapter 4 verse 1, again in verse 16
and he writes about the ministry of the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ,
the Christian faith that has turned his life inside out and upside down.
And in chapters 4 and 5 are written so that we don't walk into a life of apathy and losing heart.
And see, the stakes are high for us.
As we've just heard, the stakes are high for our world when we just decide to cruise,
just decide to coast, to lose heart in this mission that God's called us to do
and busy ourselves with trivia and irrelevancies.
We get a glimpse of how high the stakes are.
This was from last week in chapter 5 verse 10 with Richard Goscombe.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,
that each one may receive what is due him for the things done well in the body, whether good or bad.
That is, what that verse is declaring,
is that God will hold everyone accountable for their life.
Every single person will answer for their life.
Notice that the judgment seat of Christ is universal.
We must all appear, everyone, no exceptions.
We will all give an account to the Lord Jesus as the King of kings,
the Lord of all, the ruler of all things,
the one who holds eternity in his hands.
Notice too, that while it is for everyone,
we'll all be judged individually.
Each one must give an account.
Everyone will be held accountable to God for their life.
Now, the point of chapter 5 verse 10 is meant to cause us to shudder.
That's the point of that verse.
It's meant to cause us to shudder.
That is, there is a day of consequences.
There is a day of reckoning.
Eternal consequences.
And no one will escape it.
And so it says in verse 11,
Since then, we know what it is to fear the Lord.
We try to persuade men.
Now, the fear of God,
this final judgment,
is a good motivation.
But it's not the only motivation.
You see, the fear of God
is in no way whatsoever
proof that you actually love Jesus.
Fear of God by itself
moves you into a life of self-confidence,
a life of legalism,
a life of bare minimum apathy.
That's what fear of God does.
In and of itself.
If we do not believe in our hearts
the awful truth
of the enmity there is
between us and God
and all of its eternal,
terrifying consequences,
then our love for Christ
will in fact be shallowed and flawed.
So we need the fear of God,
but that's just not enough in itself.
Without the fear,
love for Christ
will be taken for granted.
It'll be passionless
and entry into all the joys of his presence
is just the next thing that I expect to happen
because of my life of service.
You see, the horror of final judgment
and I don't have time to unpack
exactly what the horror of final judgment
will look like
except that it's meant to result
in shuddering on our behalf.
But the horror of final judgment
makes the wonder and the awe of God's grace
in the Lord Jesus for us
are just beautiful
and humbling
and almost incomprehensible.
Let us believe and feel the horror
of eternal condemnation
and flee from it
into the loving and the gracious arms of Jesus,
the judge of all people,
where you will find no condemnation.
In other words,
as Exodus 20, 20 says,
fear the Lord
so that you don't have to fear the Lord.
We're told in verse 14,
the fear of judgment
is not Paul's only motive.
He says,
for Christ's love compels us.
And then these verses
which follow on from here
are just the wonder
of the love of Christ for us.
Verse 18,
God,
who reconciled us to himself through Christ.
Again,
verse 19,
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ.
To reconcile
is to render two parties
to be no longer opposed to each other.
It's to win over from hostility
towards friendliness.
It is to make two opposites
consistent and compatible.
And that is what these verses say
that God has done for us in Christ.
Totally opposed.
Enmity and hostility
and brought together.
These verses say
that it's God who took the initiative
to reconcile us to himself,
which is the foundation
of the Christian faith.
It's not about us working for God.
It is all the work of God on our behalf.
See it there.
Verse 18,
all this is from God.
Verse 19,
God was reconciling the world to himself.
Verse 21,
God made him who had no sin
to be sin for us.
The initiative,
the momentum,
and purpose of reconciliation
are all from God.
God does something about it.
God does something about the sin
that has caused the enmity,
all of our rebellion against him.
He does something about it.
Verse 19 is the preliminary explanation
of how the reconciliation is brought about.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
not counting men's sins against them.
That's the preliminary explanation.
In the work of reconciliation,
God doesn't count all of our rebellion against him,
against us.
He doesn't hold us accountable for it.
And verse 21 describes how it's possible
that God doesn't count our sins against us.
God made him who had no sin
to be sin for us.
So that in him,
we might become the righteousness of God.
The end of verse 19 says that
God doesn't want to count our sin against us.
And frankly,
we don't want God to count our sins against us.
The picture here is an account book.
And the account book has written in it
all that we've said,
all that we've done,
all that we've thought,
all that we are.
And verse 21 says that
my sin
is not put to my account.
But that account book
with my name on it
and everything that I have done,
everything that I've thought,
everything that I've done
in rebelling against God
has been put into Jesus' account book.
my name has been scratched off the top
and Jesus has been put there
and I have got Jesus' account book.
my account of sin has been put by God
to the account of his sinless son.
Jesus has taken my place on the cross.
He bore my sin in his body on the cross.
He has been judged in my place.
All the horrors of the crucifixion
is what I, Steve Jeffrey,
deserve for all of eternity
without any relief
including the hope of physical death
from that so that the suffering would end.
No ending for all of eternity
is what I deserve
for my rebellion against God.
And verse 15, sorry, verse 10
says that that's what God will do
to everyone
who rejects him.
He was made sin.
The sin of the world,
that terrible burden,
offense to God,
all the hostility,
the enmity,
and the filth
that separates us from God
and causes us to deserve eternal torment
has been placed by God
unto his son,
the Lord Jesus Christ.
But,
that's only half the story.
Not only that,
but
his perfect,
unblemished righteousness
is put to my account.
I cannot be condemned
because
my record reads
perfect,
unblemished righteousness.
The only thing
that I contribute
to my reconciliation
with God
is the sins
from which I must be redeemed.
All I contribute
is debt,
sin
that I can never repay
and that only needs
to be wiped out.
It's the only hope
is for it to be declared
wiped out.
Now,
this is a trivial
illustration,
but it's kind of like
my wedding day.
As I exchanged
wedding rings
with Nat,
I said to her,
Natalie,
with this ring
I wed you
with all that I am
and all that I have
I honor you.
So,
in that moment
I promised
to
hand over
all that I am
to her.
of course
I had just
finished five years
of ministry training,
had a hex debt,
a car loan
and needed to borrow
$2,000
from my father-in-law
in order to get married
and
he figured
it was a cheap deal
longer term.
And so in that moment
I'm saying to her
there you are
it's all yours.
It's all yours.
And I know
it's trivial
but that's what
happens when you
become a Christian
you bring all
of your sin,
you bring all
of your
moral bankruptcy
and you say
to him
they're yours.
They're all yours.
And in his mercy
he receives them.
Our great God
receives them
and counts them
to the Lord Jesus Christ.
And he hands over
all of his perfect
righteousness
to me
and accounts them
to me
forever sealed.
Forever sealed.
It is to fill us
with wonder
and gratitude
and thankfulness
and humility
that the death
of one man
the God-man
Jesus Christ
could bear
the infinite penalty
as a substitute
for everyone
who repents
and trusts
in him.
As a side point
I am
greatly distressed
that in so much
of the church
in the western world
all we want to do
is talk about
the love of God
and to leave out
the crucial
central doctrine
of the penal
substitutionary
atonement
of the Lord Jesus Christ.
You cannot
understand
the love of God
for you in Christ
unless you understand
that a debt
had to be paid.
and he
bore it
for us.
It is essential
for our confidence
in this work
of reconciliation
that we see
the centrality
of Jesus
in it.
Notice
verse 18
through Christ
verse 19
in Christ
the reconciliation
of the world
to God
happens through
the death
and the resurrection
of Christ.
It is something
that's happened
in history
it is something
that is finished
and we have
no part
of it
and the word
world
in verse 19
is staggering
staggering
staggering.
It says
that what God
did
through the
death of his
son
the Lord
Jesus Christ
on a hill
outside the city
walls of Jerusalem
around about
AD 33
concerns the
reconciliation
of the entire
universe
with its creator.
Everyone
every culture
every tribe
every people
group
every language
comes under
that statement
the world.
Whatever
background
you come
from
we all
worship
a guy
who was
Jewish
2000
years ago
who declared
that I am
God
in this
world
reconciling
the world
to its
maker.
It's
the extraordinary
claim of the
New Testament.
It's the claim
verses 14
and 15
we are
convinced
that one
died for
all
and therefore
all died
and he
died for
all.
Jesus'
death
has
universal
significance.
He is
the reconciler.
There is
no reconciliation
with God
outside of
Jesus.
You don't
need anything
more than
Jesus but
you can't
have anything
less than
Jesus.
This message
of reconciliation
with God
through Christ
is our
message for
the nations
and the
stakes could
not be any
higher.
God calls
us clearly
through the
Apostle Paul
right through
2 Corinthians
you give
yourself to
this matter.
You give
attention to
this matter.
If you
are someone
right now
who's
you're not
sure whether
you're trusting
in the Lord
Jesus can
I say the
fact that
you're here
right now
this morning
the stakes
couldn't be
any higher
for you.
I implore
you on
Christ's
behalf be
reconciled to
God through
Jesus.
So the
message of
reconciliation
is what God
has done and
it can only
do through
Christ.
The ministry
of reconciliation
on the other
hand is what
God can only
do through
us.
So this
bit is for
those who
have received
the message
of reconciliation.
So this
bit is for
all Christians.
This is for
all of us.
Verse 20
We are
therefore
Christ's
ambassadors as
though God
were making
his appeal
through us.
Now the
main thrust
of verse
20 onwards
is that the
message of
reconciliation
reconciliation is
our ministry
of reconciliation
to the
nations.
This is what
God does
through us.
Verse
18
All this
is from
God who
reconciled us
to himself
through Christ
and gave us
the ministry
of reconciliation.
The ministry
is given to
us, not to
Christ or the
angels.
Verse 19
And he
committed to
us the
message of
reconciliation.
It's given
to us, not
to Christ or
the angels.
Verse 20
We are
therefore Christ's
ambassadors as
though God
were making
his appeal
through us.
He does it
through us, not
Christ, not
the angels.
Verse 20
Makes our
ministry very
clear.
We are
Christ's
ambassadors.
Now an
ambassador's
role, as we
would know, is a
distinguished one.
We speak, we
behave on
behalf of a
sovereign power.
We represent
that sovereignty
and the
honour of the
sovereignty is
at stake.
That's an
overwhelming
thought.
In his
death, Jesus
represents us
to God and
in his absence,
we represent
him to the
world.
If you
have received
the message of
reconciliation,
then you
have the
responsibility
and will be
held accountable
for the
ministry of
reconciliation.
See the
connection in
verse 15?
He, that's
talking about
Christ, died
for all,
that those
who live
should no
longer live
for themselves,
but for him
who died for
them and was
raised again.
as a recipient
of the
message of
reconciliation,
my whole
life is now
deployed in
diplomatic
service.
I speak and
live in such
a way that
Jesus looks
like the
magnificent
treasure that
he actually
is.
And 2
Corinthians 6
verses 3
to 10
gives us a
glimpse into
the lifestyle
and the
expectations of
an ambassador
of the Lord
Jesus.
It's important
for us to
see this
because this
was confusing
for the
Corinthian
church.
This is not
a special
category of
Christians like
apostles or
missionaries or
ministers.
This is for
everyone.
What Paul
writes in
verses 3 and
4 is key.
We put no
stumbling block
in anyone's
path so that
our ministry
will not be
discredited.
We represent
the Lord
Jesus.
If the
ministry is
discredited,
the message
is discredited.
Jesus is
discredited.
You see,
when you see
yourself as
an ambassador
of Jesus in
chapter 5
verse 2 and
as God's
co-workers in
chapter 6
verse 1,
I actually
think there's
an inevitable
drivenness about
the service.
I think this
is the thing
that captivates
our life and
drives us with
their real
great deal of
focus and
attention.
I therefore
believe that if
you're casual,
you're laid
back, you're
comfortable, you're
happy to cruise
along, then I
would encourage you
to take another
look at the
diplomatic service.
Too many of us
are just happy to
go to church
once or twice
a month.
Occasional
devotional times,
give money here,
that's not
ambassador or
service.
Can I, first
of all, encourage
you that you
don't go to
church.
You belong to
one.
It is the
priority of your
life.
You belong to
a church.
And when you're
coasting and
cruising, it is
one of the sure
signs that you
have lost
confidence, you're
losing heart.
look at Paul's
lifestyle here.
It is in fact a
lifestyle that
commends the
greatness and the
glory and the
wonder of the
Lord Jesus to
the world.
It's a sacrificial
service is his
lifestyle.
Verse 4 again,
chapter 6,
rather, in other
words, rather than
being a stumbling
block, rather than
discrediting the
ministry of the
Lord Jesus, rather
as servants of
God, we commend
ourselves in every
way.
So how does the
Apostle Paul
commend himself in
his service?
In great
endurance, in
troubles, hardship,
distresses, in
beatings, in
imprisonments and
riots, in hard
work, in sleepless
nights and hunger, in
purity, in
understanding, in
patience and
kindness, in the
Holy Spirit and in
sincere love, in
truthful speech and
in the power of
God with weapons of
righteousness in the
right hand and in
the left.
world.
That's his
diplomatic service.
Instead of being
embittered and
frustrated and angry
and resentful by all
the afflictions and the
hardships and the
calamities and the
labors and the
sleepless night, by
God's grace, Paul has
shown patience and
kindness and love and
he is continually
propelled forward.
His spirit has not
been broken by the
pain of his
ministry.
In the Holy
Spirit he has found
resources to give and
to not grumble and to
keep focusing on his
duty to the Lord
Jesus.
To be patient in
God's timing rather
than to pitying
himself.
To be kind to
people rather than
taking it out on
others.
There are six
paradoxes, if you
like, in verses
8 to 10 of
chapter 6, I
want to just focus
on one because
for me, this one
sums up all of
them.
Verse 10.
This is the one I
think.
And this, I
believe, is what
our world needs to
see displayed in
Christ's ambassadors.
Verse 10.
Sorrowful, yet
always rejoicing.
What?
Sorrowful, and yet
always, how do you
put those together,
Paul?
What this world
needs from Christ's
fellow workers is an
unshakable joy in
Jesus in the midst of
suffering and sorrow.
Not serving him when I
feel the joy, when the
things are, suffering and
sorrow is over, then I'm
free to serve him.
When the kids are
sore and the
marriage, and I've
got the work is
settled, then I'll
serve him.
That's not what Paul's
saying here.
There are countless
reasons for our hearts
to break in the service
of the Lord Jesus.
But in them all, we do
not cease to rejoice.
One of the great
paradoxes of the
Christian life, and I
believe this is unique to
the Christian faith, it
displays the wonder of
God that we serve, that
we can be sorrowful and
yet always rejoicing.
No other religion
offers you that.
When you have Jesus, you
can lose everything else
with joy.
That's what our world
needs to see from
Christians.
The grace of God is so
infinitely valuable.
people.
Our vision here at
St. Paul's is to
unite our diverse
community in the good
news of the Lord
Jesus, which means
that he is our joy.
And whatever your
cultural background
says is your ultimate
joy, Jesus trumps it
all.
Don't care what it
is, Jesus says, I'm
better.
I am your joy.
And our community
needs to embrace Jesus
as their only hope and
their deepest joy, and
they need to see it in
us.
What do you think it
says to them when we
have a casual, take it
or leave it approach to
Christ's demands over
our lives?
Jesus has given us a
job, and Paul pushes
the point in chapter 6
verses 1 and 2, as
God's co-workers, we
urge you not to receive
God's grace in vain, for
he says, in the time of
my favor I heard you, in
the day of salvation I
helped you, I tell you
now is the time of God's
favor, now is the day of
salvation.
Now in those couple of
verses, Paul is making
both a simple point and a
slightly more complex
point.
In verse 2, Paul quotes
from Isaiah 49 verse 8,
which was just read out to
us, written hundreds of
years earlier, and what does
he say?
He says, for he says.
Paul is actually using the
tense in that verse, which
means that God is still
saying.
What he said hundreds of
years earlier, he is still
saying now.
He is still speaking.
That's the really simple
point he's making there.
This God who spoke then
continues to speak with
authority now.
He is, however, a
slightly more significant,
deeper point, complex
point.
What God has said throughout
history, he's still saying,
the slightly more complex
point is that in Isaiah 49,
God is speaking to his
servant who we know now to
be the Lord Jesus Christ.
God is saying that he has
heard his servant.
In Isaiah 49, he's heard
his servant.
He has come to the aid of
his servant and he has
helped the servant to
fulfill his mission.
And that's exactly what Jesus
has done throughout his life.
in his death and his
resurrection and opening the
way for humanity to be
reconciled with God and
given them eternal life.
God has equipped him and
helped him for that mission.
The day of salvation was the
day of the servant, the day of
the death of Jesus for the
reconciliation of humanity to
their God.
And in quoting that verse to
the Corinthians in the present
tense, Paul is now saying
that the day of salvation is
continuing in the present
through the servants of the
servant.
That's the point he's making.
First with Paul and then
those who embrace the gospel
through Paul.
God is saying now is the time
to embrace the gospel.
And it falls on every single one
of us to listen and to
respond unless we ourselves
receive the grace of God in
vain.
When God speaks to us as he
does in the present, it is to
take priority over everything in
our life.
That's Paul's point here.
It is so easy to slip into this
Corinthian mindset and just put
God on pause.
I'll respond to you when I get my
life back together.
I'll respond to you when everything
suits.
way too much of our modern church
has bought into this view that
God exists for me.
He exists to meet my needs, to get
me out of trouble when I'm in it
and pretty much stay out of my way
the rest of the time.
Now, very few of us actually
articulate our theology like that,
but it is our operational theology
because it's the way we live our
lives.
We come to church when it suits.
We get involved when my life is in
order.
And so we embrace the grace of God
in vain.
Time with God is often the first
thing to go when the moments of
pressure are on.
Giving, serving stops in crisis
moments or just busy times.
Why?
Because our operational theology is
God is there to serve me.
And yet what it says here is the
normal Christian life is a life of
diplomatic service.
All other pursuits serve that
pursuit.
Our support of them is diplomatic
service in and of itself.
And so I want to say to those
gathered here now
who haven't received Jesus,
I urge you to receive God's grace in
the Lord Jesus.
Today is the day of salvation.
I urge you to receive God's grace.
He's calling you to receive him.
To surrender to him.
To stop putting him to one side.
To stop operating as if he's there to
serve you and to fully serve you.
And you may have sat in churches all
of your life.
I loved hearing the story
I read it this week of a Christian man
who had spent his entire life in church
involved in a global ministry.
Global ministry.
And in his 20s
discovered the gospel for the first time.
Christ died for all
that those who live should no longer
live for themselves but for those
but for him who died for them
and was raised again.
That is for you who've received this message.
Give yourself to its service.
The ministry of reconciliation
is sheer hard work.
It's not being ambassador
when it feels right
or when it seems correct
or a positive response is there.
It's guaranteed
or when it's convenient to do so.
It is to shape your whole life.
I loved hearing the story
of an elderly Christian man
recently dying of cancer.
His main concern
was to die so well
that those around him
caring for him,
nurses, doctors, family
just saw Jesus
and the joy of Jesus.
He hadn't lost heart
in the troubles
and the distresses
and the hardship.
He hadn't
just
given up.
So maybe that's you.
Over time
there's been a loss of heart.
Just happy to cruise along.
Happy to kind of
just spend your time
talking,
thinking about theology,
Christian huddles,
that kind of stuff
but not actually
giving yourself
to the work of God
in this world.
Maybe you're
trading on past stories.
Someone who got converted
somehow around you
10, 15, 20 years ago.
Maybe you've lost heart.
As recipients of the message
of reconciliation
you've been called
to make this message clear.
That is your purpose,
it is your calling,
it is your ministry.
Give your life
to God's global agenda
by holding out
this message
from a heart of love
and a life of service.
As we've sung this morning
and I might add
with a little bit of gusto
and I hope it's true.
Christ alone
is our ceaseless message.
Grace and peace
is the overflow
of our lives.