How many of you like to listen to our singing together?
Do you enjoy that?
I, particularly this morning, I guess one of the things I want to thank the Lord for
! is the enthusiastic and joyful faces of our choir. Did you notice them?
I mean, they're not up there just kind of with this obligation, like, okay, I've got to sing this morning, so...
I like looking at your smiling faces. I was tempted to turn around and look at the rest of you,
because it sounded like you were having a good time, and I'm thankful for that.
Here's the deal. Are you listening? If we know Christ as our Savior,
and we are filled with the Spirit, what should our singing be like?
How should it be? Huh? It should be pretty enthusiastic. Would you agree with that?
Amen.
Okay. I want to thank you for that enthusiastic singing.
Stop while you're ahead. Okay, I got that.
Hey, I want you to turn your Bibles this morning to 2 Corinthians chapter 5.
We're going to be looking at a passage that really brings together what we are gathered here today to do.
This day is a day where we celebrate the Lord's table. Isn't that right?
And these elements here, this bread and this cup, are little reminders for all of us who know Christ as our Savior.
I want to tell you up front that taking communion doesn't make you saved,
and it doesn't get you extra points in heaven.
You know, the idea that you have to take communion in order to get a pass or whatever,
whatever, that's not in the Scriptures.
We take communion to celebrate what Christ has done for us,
and anyone who is here that has come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior
is invited and welcomed to this table.
We want you to celebrate with us when we remember what Christ has done for us.
And as we take the bread and we take the cup,
we are really taking what are reminders of His sacrifice.
The bread reminds us of His death on the cross.
The cup reminds us of the blood of the new covenant.
And when we take that bread and we take that cup,
one of the things I trust that happens in your heart,
and I would not be put off in the least,
if as you are taking the bread and you taking the cup,
you went ahead and said out loud,
thank you, Lord Jesus, for being my Savior
and for the blessing of what you've done in my life.
And I have no doubt that part of Christ's purpose
in giving us this command to remember what He has done for us
is not so much to inform us of the facts of what He's done,
but to rekindle in our heart an affection and appreciation
for His grace and His salvation.
And so when we are taking these elements,
it is appropriate to think about just how foundational
and how central His salvation is in our lives.
And I want you to look this morning to a passage
in 2 Corinthians chapter 5
where the apostle addresses this issue
of the centrality of Christ's work for us
and how affecting that is to be in all of our lives.
I want you to look there, if you will,
in verses 14 and 15.
For the love of Christ controls us
because we have concluded this,
that one has died for all,
therefore all have died.
And He died for all,
that those who live might no longer live for themselves,
but for Him who for their sakes died and was raised.
As we look at this passage,
we're going to find three little truths
that I want you to focus on.
We're going to find, first of all,
the believer's operating principle.
What is it that governs and controls our life?
The believer's operating principle.
We're going to find, secondly,
a reminder of the believer's past.
And every single one of us in here
have a past that we'd soon not remember.
Am I right?
Every one of us.
Third, we're going to see the believer's present
and a reminder of this fact
that if you have come to know the Lord Jesus Christ,
you are not your own.
We find Paul says elsewhere,
you are bought with a price.
You belong to Christ.
And so let's begin, first of all,
by looking at the believer's operating principle.
You look there in verse 14,
it says,
for the love of Christ controls us.
Now, one of the important rules
to understanding the Scriptures
is remembering that the best commentary
on the Scriptures is the...
It's the Scriptures.
And so in order to understand
what a passage is saying,
it always helps to pay attention
to the context.
And the larger context of this passage
really is the entire book of 2 Corinthians.
You'll remember,
if you think about the book of 1 Corinthians,
that it was written to a church
dealing with a lot of different problems,
and Paul was writing to correct
one thing after another.
In particular,
the church was struggling with immorality.
The church was also struggling
with having an argumentative
and divisive spirit within the body,
and Paul wrote to correct that.
Now, as a result of Paul
ministering to the church at Corinth
and giving them these kind of firm admonitions,
guess how they responded to it?
Hey, how do you do when you're corrected?
Bring it on.
I had it coming.
I need it.
Is that how all of you behave?
When your wife says to you,
honey, you need to stop,
how do you do that?
Oh, thank you.
I am so glad that God hired you
to be my primary helper.
Is that how you deal with it?
Well, here's what happened.
When Paul kind of admonished
the church at Corinth,
they kind of bristled
and they got a little attitude,
and they began pushing back
against the apostle.
And one of the things
that was particularly used
against the apostle
is that he was suffering so much.
He had one hardship after another
come into his life,
and as a result,
the people that were critics of him
said, hey, listen,
if Paul was really God's man,
he would not be having
all these problems.
Do you ever bump into people today
that propose
one of the clear indicators
that you're God's man
is that everything goes perfectly?
I mean, after all,
after we're saved,
we all have these promises
that we're going to get a better job,
we're going to get more pay.
Is that the way it goes?
Now, if you're buying into
the health and wealth gospel,
probably so,
but this is not the first time,
this generation is not the first time
that people have been caught up
in ideas that if you're God's child,
everything's going to be perfect,
and just a wonderful uphill kind of walk
with everything kind of working out perfectly.
And so Paul's critics were saying,
listen, here's the proof
that Paul is not really an apostle.
Look at all his sufferings.
Look at all the difficulties he's having.
Look at all the persecution he endures.
And Paul took this subtle accusation head on
and wasn't shy in the least
about talking about his suffering for the gospel.
In fact, he goes on and explains
the value of suffering.
We're going to see that,
particularly just a little snapshot,
in chapter 1.
And so I want you to turn back,
keep your finger there,
in chapter 5.
But look at chapter 1, verse 4.
Paul's talking about suffering,
and remember, people were being critical
of his suffering.
And so he says, hey, let's take a look
at this issue of suffering.
In chapter 1, verse 4, he says,
who comforts us in all our affliction
so that we may be able to comfort
those who are in any affliction
with the comfort with which we ourselves
are comforted by God.
Do you know what Paul's saying?
One of the benefits of our own suffering
is that God uses that to equip us
to minister to other people.
Have you found that to be true?
The things that have been your private heartaches
and things that you have had to deal with
over the years,
whether it is a disappointment
in a family relationship
or losing your job
or whatever that hardship is,
the Spirit of God then takes those very difficulties
and brings in His wisdom and economy,
He brings people into your life.
You didn't go looking for them.
You didn't have to post on the internet.
I have suffered in ABC.
If you're interested in any counsel
in relationship to these things,
please email me and I'll follow up.
That doesn't happen.
But here's what happens.
God in His wisdom knows what your suffering has been,
and He knows how He got you through it,
and He will, in His providence,
bring people right into your life
that you can minister to
according to how He's ministered to you.
And Paul says,
hey, suffering's not all bad.
Suffering is actually one of the things
that equips me to minister to other people.
And so this morning,
as you're sitting there
and you're wondering,
what's going on in my life
and why am I having some of the hardships
that I'm having?
Understand this.
God is actually in that,
not only strengthening your character
and your spiritual walk,
but He's also equipping you
for a future ministry
that you will someday have.
Look also, if you will,
at verse 8 and 9.
For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers,
of the affliction we experienced in Asia.
Remember there were people
that were being critical
and saying, you know,
that Paul,
he's not the real deal
because if he really was God's man,
everybody would just love him.
Paul says, hey,
let's be up front.
When we were in Asia,
we were taking a beating.
And he says,
don't want us
have you be ignorant about that
for we were so utterly burdened
beyond our strength
that we despaired of life itself.
Have you ever felt like you were
so overwhelmed
that you just couldn't handle it anymore?
That's what Paul was talking about.
He says,
I was burdened to the point,
I can't do it.
Look at verse 9.
Indeed,
we felt that we had received
the sentence of death,
but that was to make us rely
not on ourselves,
but on God who raises the dead.
Guess what another lesson is
that we learn in hardship?
We learn our own inadequacy
and we learn His sufficiency.
So long as you think
you can pull it off by yourself
and you're not dealing
with any of the hardships of life,
it just seems,
hey, I'm good.
I can handle this.
And then God allows something
to come into your life
that is absolutely beyond your ability
and you find yourself
relying upon God
and you discover what?
His sufficiency
and His worth
to handle that challenge.
And so when we find ourselves
in those hard times
and those difficulties,
instead of kind of despairing
and saying,
I give up, I give up,
understand that in that,
God is at work
and He is not only strengthening you,
but He's teaching you
that He will care for the problem.
We may not admit it,
but we are guppies in some sense
for the prosperity gospel.
And we act that way on occasion
because when disappointment
and difficulties come,
we find ourselves kind of wondering,
so all right, God,
what did I do?
What's happening?
Where are you in this picture?
And we need to remind ourselves
that when those difficult times come,
it's something that God wants us
to learn through.
And so recognize this,
a test of faith really
is how we handle the hard times.
Mark it down.
A test of faith
is how we handle the hard times.
Now, you don't need to go around
praying for those opportunities.
Do you understand that?
I've had people say to me,
well, I'm praying for patience.
Don't do that.
Hey, listen to me.
He knows what you need
better than you do.
And so just kind of say,
all right, Lord,
whatever you pitch,
let me be on the game
and be able to handle it
and grow through this.
I'll never forget
several weeks ago
when we were having
our missions conference
and Tom Graves stood up here
and he said,
you know,
in Romania,
they are looking to have
a Bible conference
and the chief thing
that they're going to talk about
is, all right, all right,
so what have we lost
now that we no longer
suffer open persecution
for Christ?
Isn't that amazing?
Here are people
who recognize
that hardship
and difficulty
were doing positive things
for their spiritual walk
and over here
we would be doing what?
We would have a conference
ringing our hands
about,
what are we doing wrong?
Nobody likes us.
You know,
all wound up.
Here they are.
Hey,
what do we lose
when we're not suffering
for the gospel?
And so I want you
to recognize
that Paul,
as he is working
his way through
the book of 2 Corinthians,
each one of the chapters
talk about this issue
of hardship and suffering.
And so the logical question
is this,
Paul,
what makes you different?
What makes you
the way you are
in the face of the adversity
and the difficulty you have?
And we're dealing
with that question's answer
in verse 14 of chapter 5.
Christ's love
is the gospel-centered motive
for Christian living
and endurance.
That's what Paul
is going to remind us of.
Christ's love
is the gospel-centered motive
for Christian living
and endurance.
Look at the passage
that we are going
to deal with here.
For the love of Christ
controls me.
What really motivates
a person
reveals what's in their heart
and what they value
the most.
It's always interesting
that when you bump
into people
within a short period
of time,
if they're relatively
new to you,
you figure out
what things they care about.
Isn't that right?
When you're in a situation
that's fairly new,
there may be a little bit
of natural reservation,
but eventually you open up
and we always begin
to talk about the things
that we like.
We talk about the things
that we think are important.
We talk about the things
that we value.
We can't help ourselves.
It comes out.
And Paul says,
listen,
let me tell you something.
It is the love of Christ
that controls me.
I look at a world
that we live in
that you don't have
to listen to very long
if you're paying attention
to the news.
And guess what you find out
when you listen to the news?
You have two opposing
world systems,
both of them
which are deeply flawed,
that propose
that the solution
to all the world's problems
really lie
in one side or another.
How many of you know
John Kenneth Galbraith?
Do you know
John Kenneth Galbraith?
One or two
of the older people here
know John Kenneth Galbraith
was an economist,
an incredibly brilliant man.
And by the way,
he's buried out
in Sunset Cemetery
within a stone's throw
of where William Brock
is buried.
You needed to know that.
Write that down.
There'll be a quiz
on that little fact.
It's an extra piece.
But John Kenneth Galbraith
made this statement.
He said,
capitalism is a system
in which one man
takes advantage
of another one.
He said,
and communism
is exactly the opposite.
You know what he meant?
He meant,
it's also a system
where one man
takes advantage
of another man.
Can I tell you
that when Jesus comes back
and the millennium
gets kicked off,
he is not going to rely
on capitalism
or communism.
He is going to rely
upon his infinite wisdom
and his justice
and his love
to bring about
perfect governance
and a world at peace.
And I want you
to understand
that as we
who are his children
think about how we are
to live in this present day,
it is not getting wound up
by one side or another
of that argument.
It is getting wound up
by the supremacy
of the love of Christ
that he has lavished on us.
And when your life
is dominated
and controlled
by your appreciation
for the love of Christ,
and I appreciate
what John said this morning,
getting overwhelmed
with the love of Christ
and understanding
the depth
of the love of Christ
is the driving force
in helping you grow
to be a more loving person.
Apart from appreciating
the love of Christ,
you are not going
to be very loving
of anyone
but guess who?
Do this little thing
right here.
If you are not affected
by the love of Christ,
you will be affected
by the love of self.
That's the way it is.
Well, Paul wants us
to recognize
that the believer
is to be dominated
and to be controlled
by the love of Christ.
Let me come to the second part
as we think about this passage.
You see,
a believer has a past
and there in verse 14
it says,
the love of Christ
controls us
because we have concluded this
that one has died for all,
therefore all were dead.
So I want you to recognize
that prior to salvation,
each of us
were utterly dead
and lost.
Do you understand
that the gospel
actually starts
with bad news?
The idea that
Jesus came into the world
just to be
kind of a nice
and wonderful example
that people can follow
and kind of move
their way uphill
and eventually get there
is a lie from hell.
When you ask people
what the gospel
actually is
and they propose to you
that this gospel
is just a,
just simply
and exclusively
a nice
and wonderful
little story
about how to be
sweet to each other,
if that's what they think,
they're missing
what the scripture
has to say
about the gospel.
Paul made this statement,
he said,
that the gospel
is something
that is offensive.
Do you know
what's offensive
about the gospel?
The gospel
is offensive
because first of all
it tells us
that all mankind
equally are dead
in their trespasses
and sins
and stand justly
condemned before
a holy God.
That's the part
people don't like.
But you know
what Jesus said?
He said,
hey,
those who don't
understand that they're sick,
there's a free rendition
unless you're wondering
what passage it is.
Remember Jesus said this?
He said,
it's not those
who are healthy
that need the physician
but those that are sick.
By the way,
was he saying
that some of us
were healthy
and some of us
were sick?
No,
he was saying
the problem
with the Pharisees
is they didn't understand
just how sick
their soul was.
You see,
in order for people
to recognize
their desperate need
for the gospel,
the first thing
they have to do
is come to grips
with the wickedness
and the absolute despair
of their soul.
And can I tell you something?
Of all the things
we can learn from history,
the thing that is clearest
is that apart from
the power of Christ
to save mankind,
all human existence
is insufferably wicked
and despicable.
Does that mean
we're as bad as we could be
without further practice?
No.
But here's the truth.
Apart from Christ,
what it says
in the Scripture
is there is none righteous,
no, not one.
There's not a one
that seeks after Christ.
And so as we think
about the truth
of what the gospel tells us,
it announces,
as we see here
in this passage,
that prior to the grace
of God,
I was utterly dead
and hopeless
in my sin
with no hope.
I stood justly condemned
for the blackness
of my heart
and the wickedness
of my sins,
and yet Christ chose
to take my place
and die in my stead.
And that's true
for every one of you
here this morning
that know Christ
as your personal Savior.
He took your sin.
He paid the penalty.
He was given
the full judgment
of God
in place of you.
And the thought
of what He has done
for me
and how He loves me
is something
that I should never tire
of thinking about
and it should give me
warm fuzzies
every time.
Hmm?
Last night,
sitting in the
family room,
I said to Judith,
I love you.
It was just out
of the clear blue.
You were watching
OSU football
and so there was
a very clear connect
between the two events,
you know.
I said,
I love you.
And she said,
and she asked
that dumb question,
why?
Well,
and here's my answer.
She's sitting in the back.
I think she'll raise
a hand if I miss it.
But I said,
actually,
starting point
is because Jesus loves me.
Do you understand that?
Here's what the Bible says,
love is of,
how did Tim Knoyer,
and I'll tell you what,
a pathological sinner
apart from the grace of God,
how did Tim Knoyer
become someone
who loved anybody else
but himself?
It was the grace of God
who brought salvation
in my life
and taught me
the width and breadth
and depth and height
of a love of Christ
and then began working
and helping me learn
how to love other people.
It didn't happen by accident.
It happened on the cross
and it happened subsequently
in the work of God
dealing in the life
of a believer.
I said,
I love you because of Jesus.
I love you,
secondly,
because I promised
to do that.
I made a promise.
I think it's 43
and a half years ago,
give or take.
I said,
that's the one
I'm going to spend
the rest of my life
learning how to love.
And can I tell you something?
It's a whole lot more fun today
than it was yesterday
and the day before.
You follow that?
It gets better as you go.
By the way,
here's a little surprise,
but it does take work.
The reason it takes work
is because I'm a sinner
living with another sinner.
Coming back to the subject,
I want you to understand
that as I think about
the love of Christ,
it ends up affecting
my love for others.
I want you to recognize
the believers present.
You look there
at the passage again
and pick up in verse 15.
It says,
and he died for all
that those who live
might no longer live
for themselves,
but for him
who for their sakes died
and was raised.
Who do you live for?
Who does your life belong to?
Who determines
what you do
and where you are
and how you spend
your time?
Are you the center
of your universe
or is Christ?
Can you justly
and honestly say
that the driving
and operating principle
in my life
is a desire
to draw attention
to the lover
of my soul?
The text really
isn't complicated,
and it makes the point
that those who are gripped
by the love of Christ
will live their life
for him
and not for themselves.
And so,
Paul closes off
his argument here
as he explains,
what is it that makes you
handle the suffering
and the rejection
and the disappointment
that you live with?
He says,
that's not a hard question.
I'm the way I am
because the love of Christ
controls me.
And let me explain it this way.
I was dead
and Jesus died for me.
And so,
the remainder of my life,
I live to say thank you
for who he is
and what he's done for me.
So,
let me ask you this.
Do you really honestly believe
that he loved you enough
to die in your place
and that he has paid
the penalty for your sins?
Is that a thought
that is central
in your living?
If it is.
I want you to understand this.
Listen to me carefully.
The way we think
determines the way we act.
Do you understand that?
Let me kind of put
the string together.
Thoughts
produce actions
and actions
produce consequences.
Would you agree with that?
The way we think
ends up being evident
in the way we act.
and the way we act
creates consequences.
And so,
here is Paul saying,
listen,
I got it.
I got it figured out.
I am dominated.
I am controlled
by the fact
that Christ loves me
and because of that,
I don't live my life
for myself.
Turn over in your Bible
just for a moment
to a passage
in Titus chapter 3,
verse 8.
Titus chapter 3,
verse 8.
Titus nails it
when he talks about
Christian motive.
He says there in verse 8,
the saying is trustworthy
and I want you to insist
on these things.
He's talking about
the pastoral responsibility
is to kind of
challenge God's people
to live a life
to a certain agenda
and objective.
He says,
I want you to insist
on these things
so that those
who have believed
in God,
you might even
underline this
and memorize it,
so that those
who have believed
in God
might be careful
to devote themselves
to good works.
Hmm.
What does it mean
to devote yourself
to good works?
Ah,
working into your agenda
once every six years.
Right?
Well,
make it a point,
once a quarter,
you're going to kind of
do something nice.
You know,
you're in line
at McDonald's
and when you pull up
and you hear the
next order coming in,
you say,
hey,
I'll pay for that
so that,
is that it?
No.
Here's what it says.
Nothing wrong
with the McDonald's idea
if I'm behind you,
but the point is,
look,
it says here.
You caught that?
You're awake.
Oh,
let's read the verse.
What's it say?
It says,
those who have believed
in God,
is that you?
Is that you?
Have you believed in God?
In other words,
you've believed in Christ
as your personal Savior?
It says,
if you believed in God,
you may be careful
to devote yourself
to good works.
These things are excellent
and profitable
for people.
Who should know
about your good works?
Who should know
about your good works?
Number one is God,
but number two,
it's your neighbors.
Everybody smile
because what you're asking me,
the next thought you're having
is can you prove that
from the Bible?
Is that what you're saying?
Is that what you're thinking?
Is that,
so should I go to my neighbors
and hand out a little survey
saying,
so do you know
that I'm into good works?
Okay.
Matthew chapter five,
remember what Jesus says
in verse 14,
you are what?
You might be on occasion.
He says,
you are the light.
And he says,
by the way,
this is the next part of it,
he says,
and when you light a lamp,
what do you do?
So when God saved you,
his intention in using your life
was just like
when you light a candle
in a home.
You put it somewhere
where it makes a difference.
The expectation that Christ has
is that you and I
are lights where we've been planted.
Monday morning
when everybody comes into work
and their attitude is,
ugh,
you know,
I mean,
the one bright spot
is what happened
in the OSU game
and the rest of life
is kind of a bust,
you know,
and here you are.
How are you acting
on Monday morning?
Happy Monday!
Probably when I come in
on Monday,
I'll say to Connie,
the same thing I said
on Thursday,
you know,
happy Thursday,
it'll be Monday,
happy Monday,
right?
Why?
Because
I've been lit
like a candle
and by the way,
when that candle
is shining properly,
who gets the credit?
Here's what it says,
that people may see
your good works
and glorify
your Father
who is in heaven.
the way you act
either reflects favorably
on Christ
or it causes people
to think he is
of irrelevant difference
in their life
and anybody else's.
And so let me help you
understand as you think
about this matter
is when you recognize
what God has done,
understand this,
that the love of Christ
controls my life
because I knew
I deserved the penalty
of death
and he died in my place.
I was bought with a price
and my life
belongs to him.
As a result of that,
other people should be able
to see that.
Isn't that right?
They should be able
to see that Christ
has made a difference.
I am living proof
and you are living proof
of the power of Christ
to change a life.
Agreed?
And one of the ways
we do that
is not by being
a frowny, grumpy, frumpy person.
Would you agree with that?
One of the ways
we do that
is by being a forgiving
and forbearing individual.
One of the ways
we do that
is by having endurance
under stress.
One of the ways
we do that
is by being compassionate
to those who are enslaved
by their sin.
One of the ways
we do that
is by having joy
in the midst of adversity
and everybody knows.
Where's that come from?
Well, it's not from me, right?
It's from Christ.
It's from Christ
because the love of Christ
controls me.
That they who live
should not henceforth
live unto themselves.
But unto him
who died for them
and rose again.
I'm going to ask
that the men come
at this time
as we come
to the Lord's table.
And as the men
are coming this morning,
let me encourage you
to recognize
that I need my Bible.
Let me encourage you
to recognize
that what I said earlier
stands to be
undeniably true
that the Lord's table
is a table
to which all
who know Christ
are freely invited.
If you're here
this morning
and you know Christ
as your personal Savior,
let me encourage you
to recognize
that this table
and what we engage
in as a memorial
is something
that is designed
to encourage,
strengthen,
convict
you as a believer.
in relationship
to that,
it says in the Scriptures
that if you are here,
that you are also
to examine yourself,
that you do not
take the Lord's table
in an unworthy manner.
And so as we get ready
to take these elements,
I'm going to ask
that you spend the time
in quiet prayer
right where you're sitting
and you just say,
Lord,
if there are issues
in my life
that I need to repent
and forsake,
now's the time
to do that
so that when I take the bread
and I take the cup,
I can do it
with a clear conscience.
Let's pray.
Precious Father,
as we take just a moment
to examine ourselves
before You,
we recognize
that the Scriptures
are quite clear
that if You were
to mark iniquity
that none of us
would stand.
and yet You have
granted to us
forgiveness
through the Lord Jesus Christ
and so we first of all
come with thanksgiving
for what He has done
for us.
At the same time,
we also recognize
that the Scriptures
teach us that clearly
we do struggle with sin
from day to day
and so this morning,
if there are issues
in our hearts
that we need to confess
and forsake,
whether it is an attitude
towards another believer
or a practice
that is secret and hidden
that is offensive to You,
or a matter of the soul
that nobody else
knows about, Lord,
this morning
that we would confess that,
that we may take this bread
and take this cup
with a clear conscience.
We're thankful
that what it says
in the Scriptures
is if we confess our sins,
You are faithful
and just to forgive us
of those sins.
And so we ask
for that privilege
to be exercised
in the lives
of each and every believer
that humbly confesses
that we may take
this cup
and this bread
without condemnation.
And we ask this
in Jesus' name.
Amen.