Participants: Nathan Renner
Series Code: FC
Program Code: FC000347
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00:30 Hi, I am Pastor Nathan Renner, the pastor of the
00:33 Troy Seventh day Adventist Church in Troy, Michigan 00:36 and welcome to Faith Chapel. 00:38 Today we're going to be talking about the 00:40 Apostle Paul's motivation for his mission. 00:43 What was it that motivated the Apostle Paul to get up 00:47 and preach the gospel everyday? 00:51 You know Paul's life wasn't easy. He was beaten, 00:53 he was stoned, he was tortured, 00:55 he traveled the world and was persecuted 00:58 and ultimately gave his life as a martyr. 01:01 What was it that motivated the Apostle Paul to share 01:05 the Gospel in the face of such 01:07 tremendous difficulties? This is what we are going 01:10 to explore today from the book of II Corinthians 01:13 and we're going to be looking in chapter 5. 01:16 Before we do that though it would be well for us 01:19 to take just a moment to pray and invite 01:23 God's Spirit to be with us today. Let's pray. 01:26 Our Father, as we look at the word, 01:30 we ask that your Spirit would be with us today 01:35 that you would teach us, that you would impress us 01:39 with the truth of your word and more than that Father 01:42 that you would motivate us like you've motivated Paul 01:46 to share the good news of Jesus Christ. 01:51 So Father send your Spirit, to speak and to motivate us 01:56 that we might become men like Paul, women like Paul, 02:02 people that are zealous to preach. So be with us now 02:06 as we look at your word in Jesus name. Amen. 02:10 In II Corinthians chapter 5, verse 9, the Apostle Paul 02:15 makes a very simple statement. He says, 02:20 so whether we are at home or away, 02:23 we make it our aim to please Him. 02:27 Paul says whether I am at home with the Lord, 02:30 whether I am in the direct presence of God 02:32 or whether I am not in the direct presence of God 02:36 He makes it His aim to please Him. In verse 10 02:41 he then follows it up. Why is Paul so eager 02:45 to please God? Verse 10, For we must all 02:50 appear before the judgment seat of Christ, 02:56 so that each one may receive what is due 02:58 for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. 03:05 Here in II Corinthians chapter 5 verses 9&10 03:08 what is Paul simply saying? Paul is saying, 03:11 I am doing everything I can to please God 03:14 because I understand that every human being 03:19 must appear before the judgment seat of Christ. 03:22 Every human being will be judged 03:25 and that every human being will receive in their body 03:30 for what they have done, whether it is good 03:32 or whether it is evil. The Apostle Paul 03:36 was absolutely unequivocally convinced 03:39 that every human being would stand before 03:42 the judgment seat of Christ and because of that Paul 03:45 said in my life, in my life, I am doing everything 03:50 I can do to please God. Now out of this concept 03:56 of the judgment that every human being 03:57 is going to be judged, out of the truth 04:00 that every human being will stand before 04:02 the judgment seat of Christ. The Apostle Paul 04:05 now moves in verse 11 to speak about 04:08 his motivation for mission. In verse 11, Therefore, 04:13 knowing the fear of the Lord we persuade others. 04:21 Knowing the fear of the Lord, Paul says, 04:24 I persuade others. What is Paul saying? Paul is saying 04:29 I try to please God, because I know that 04:32 I will stand before the judgment seat of Christ 04:34 and more than just what I do with my own life, 04:38 more than just the fact that I try to please God 04:41 I am busy persuading others and we'll see 04:45 in the text later. He is busy persuading them 04:48 to be reconciled to God so that they too can stand 04:54 before the judgment seat of Christ in peace. 04:56 It says knowing the fear of the Lord we persuade others. 05:01 In the Old King James, I'll just reference it, 05:04 he says knowing the terror of the Lord. 05:07 My friend standing before the judgment seat of Christ 05:12 without forgiveness, without Holiness, 05:15 without righteousness is a terrifying experience. 05:20 And Paul says that he is busy doing everything 05:25 in his power to please God and to persuade others 05:29 to be reconciled to God. Because he understands 05:32 that it's a terrifying experience, 05:34 it's a fearful experience to stand before 05:37 the judgment seat of Christ without forgiveness, 05:40 without holiness, without being reconciled to God. 05:45 So we could say from II Corinthians chapter 5 05:48 verse 11, Paul's first motivator for mission 05:52 is the fear of the Lord, that is the terrifying 05:56 experience that the judgment will be for those 06:00 who do not know Christ. Now in II Corinthians 06:04 chapter 5 verse 11, Paul again I'll read 06:07 the whole verse this time. He says, therefore, 06:09 knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others, 06:13 we persuade them to be reconciled to God 06:15 he is saying. But what we are is known to God, 06:18 and I hope it is also known to your conscience. 06:22 Verse 12, we are not commending ourselves to you 06:26 again but giving you cause to boast about us, 06:29 so that you may be able to answer those who boast 06:33 about outward appearances and not 06:35 about what is in the heart. Verse 13, 06:38 for if we are beside ourselves it is for God; 06:45 if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 06:48 Now I want you to follow Paul's line 06:51 of reasoning here. Paul has said, 06:53 I do my best to please God. Because I will be judged 06:57 my God and not just me, every human being 06:59 and so I also try to persuade others to fear 07:04 and know and love God because it's a terrifying 07:06 experience to be judged by God. Now Paul then, 07:11 he digresses a little bit and he talks a little bit 07:14 about the situation that is going on there in Corinth 07:17 and evidently some people had said 07:19 some things about Paul. Evidently some things 07:21 about how he did ministry, didn't make everyone happy. 07:25 And so in verse 13, Paul says something 07:28 that I find to be very fascinating, 07:30 we just read it but he says if we are beside ourselves, 07:34 it is for God. And what does it mean when someone says 07:40 that they're beside themselves? 07:42 What's that mean? Well it means 07:47 they're a little crazy. It means that 07:50 they are a little not in their right mind 07:54 and so really what Paul is saying is if when I am 07:58 trying to persuade you to be reconciled to God, 08:02 and if I, when I am trying to persuade you 08:05 to be reconciled to God and I look a little 08:07 beside myself it is for God. You probably know what 08:11 I am talking and I am a minister of the Gospel, 08:12 I am a preacher and I am deeply concerned 08:16 that people will find God and be saved. 08:21 And in my passion for God, in my zeal 08:27 to see people converted. I may be like the 08:31 Apostle Paul at times, I may look 08:32 a little beside myself. What Paul is saying is? 08:34 When I am because of the terror of the Lord 08:36 persuading you to be reconciled to God? 08:39 Paul says I may look a little beside myself. 08:43 I may look a little crazy. 08:48 And then Paul on the other hand says in Verse 13 there, 08:52 he says If we are in our right mind it is for you. 09:00 You follow Paul's train of thought, 09:02 Paul says every human being is going to be judged. 09:07 Every single one of them, and its going to be 09:11 a terrifying experience if the don't know God, 09:14 they don't know Jesus Christ. So I am persuading 09:17 people to know God, to be reconciled to God. 09:21 And if in the process of persuading people, 09:24 because of my understanding of the fear of the Lord, 09:27 if in that process I look a little out of my mind, 09:30 if I look a little crazy it is just because 09:33 I am so zealous for God and if on the other hand 09:35 if I look like I am in my right mind, well of course 09:38 it's for you, I am trying to make a good impression 09:40 on you, so that you believe. 09:46 Paul's first motivator for mission was an absolute 09:49 understanding of the terror of the Lord. 09:53 Paul's first motivator for mission was an 09:55 understanding of the fearful experience, 09:58 that the lost will experience in the judgment. 10:03 His second motivator is found now in verse 14. 10:10 His first motivator is the fear of the Lord, 10:13 the terror of the Lord, that the lost 10:16 will experience. In verse 14 he gets the second 10:18 motivator and that is simply this, 10:21 For the love of Christ controls us, 10:24 because we have concluded thus; 10:26 that one has died for all, therefore all have died. 10:33 Paul's second motivator for mission 10:35 is the love of Christ. His first motivator for mission 10:40 is an understanding of the lostness of those 10:42 who are without Christ, the fear of the Lord 10:45 that is the horrible experience, 10:47 they will experience in the judgment. 10:49 His second motivator is much more positive 10:52 and that is the love of Christ. 10:56 Now here in verse 14 Paul doesn't get Sappy 11:00 about the love of Christ. Paul gives us 11:05 what I would like to call divine arithmetic. 11:08 In verse 14, Paul tells us what the love Christ 11:13 looks like for humanity? For the love of Christ 11:18 controls us. Okay, this is his second motivator. 11:22 He is pleading with people to be reconciled to God, 11:26 not only because of the fear of the Lord 11:28 but because of the love of Christ. 11:29 The love of Christ controls us because we have concluded 11:33 this that one has died for all therefore all have died. 11:38 Now here is Paul's gospel arithmetic that motivates 11:43 him to share. It's very simple, it goes something 11:46 like this just like Paul says. 11:48 One died for all therefore all died, 11:54 we'll follow it again, one died for all 11:57 therefore all died. Now just go to a reference 12:02 Romans chapter 6:23. In Romans 6:23 the Bible 12:05 says that the wages of sin is death. 12:09 The wages of sin is death. 12:14 My friend, my sin has earned for me death. 12:18 You know when I was an unbeliever I always 12:20 kind of had it in my mind that God was the big meanie 12:24 who said, if you don't believe in me I'll kill you. 12:27 Well it's doesn't work like that at all. 12:29 The Bible says that by our sin, we have earned 12:34 for ourselves the death penalty. 12:36 The wages of sin is death; the wages of sin is death. 12:42 Now if you look in II Corinthians chapter 5 12:44 verse 14 again look what it says, it says 12:46 that love of Christ controls us, 12:48 because we have concluded this, 12:50 that one has died for all, therefore all have died. 12:55 Now follow again, if the wages of sin is death 12:59 and Bible says Christ has died for you, 13:01 what that text is saying is essentially 13:04 that the wages of sin have been paid 13:07 for every single human being. 13:10 Now that message is a remarkably amazing message. 13:16 What that message is saying is that 13:19 there is no human being that needs to die 13:23 because they have already been killed in Christ. 13:27 Now what is Paul saying here, 13:30 Paul is saying number one that every human being 13:33 will stand before the Judgment seat of Christ 13:35 and that is a fearful thing. If they don't know God, 13:38 if they are not reconciled to God, 13:40 if they have not been saved, and so Paul says 13:44 I am persuading them to be reconciled to God, 13:46 I am persuading them to know Christ. 13:49 I am persuading them to finding in him 13:52 their righteousness, and their holiness 13:54 but then he says that he is also motivated not just 13:58 by the fearful experience 14:00 that the lost will experience. 14:01 But he is motivated by the love of Christ, 14:05 he is motivated by the love of Christ, 14:08 that love that he is seen by the fact that Jesus died 14:12 for everyone, that the wages of sin 14:16 have been paid for everyone. 14:19 In fact it's interesting in verse 15 he says, 14:24 He died for all those who lived may no longer 14:27 live for themselves but for him who for their sakes 14:31 died and was raised. Now in verse 16, 14:35 Paul makes the remarkable statement. From now on, 14:38 therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. 14:43 Even though we once regarded Christ 14:46 according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 14:49 Paul says we regard no one according to the flesh. 14:53 Now what is Paul saying here? 14:57 Paul is saying the fact that Jesus died 14:59 for every single human being, the fact that Jesus 15:04 has died for them and that there is no 15:06 reason for them to die. 15:08 Paul says I don't look at any human being 15:12 for what they are? I regard them no longer according 15:17 to the flesh, what does that mean? That means, 15:20 that Paul does not look at somebody 15:23 and see a drug user. Paul doesn't look at somebody 15:26 and see a prostitute. He doesn't look at somebody 15:29 and see a gossip. Paul looks at every human being 15:33 as a human being for whom Jesus Christ has died. 15:39 Paul looks at every human being as a person 15:42 who does not need to be lost because Christ 15:46 has died for them. Paul says I do not regard anyone 15:50 according to the flesh, why because I look at people 15:54 not for what they are? But what for they can be 15:58 because Jesus died for them. 16:01 In fact and look in verse 17, look what Paul says? 16:05 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, 16:08 he is a new creation. The old has passed away; 16:13 behold the new has come. The old has passed away, 16:18 and the new has come. Paul says I see 16:21 the love of Christ in the fact that Jesus died 16:24 for every human being. This shows us the love, 16:27 that the wages of sin have been paid 16:30 for every human being, that no human being, 16:34 no matter how bad deserves to die. 16:37 They don't need to die because Christ 16:40 has died for them. This is the love of Christ. 16:47 And then he says because of this, 16:48 I don't look at people for what they are, 16:50 I don't regard any human being according 16:53 to the flesh, I don't look at people, 16:55 I don't look at them and say, oh look at the way 16:58 they do their hair, I don't look at them 17:00 and say look at their cloths, I don't look at them 17:03 and say look at how they act. 17:04 I don't look at any human being for what they are. 17:09 I look at them for what Christ has done for them. 17:15 Just the other evening my wife called me 17:18 and she was at our Church on a Wednesday night 17:22 and we have a Bible study for young people 17:24 on Wednesday night. We have lots of people 17:28 coming from the community. And I suppose by outward 17:32 appearances they don't look like good Christian folk 17:36 that are always found running around our church. 17:38 They look a little rougher around the edges 17:41 and my wife said that there is nothing so wonderful 17:46 as seeing our Wednesday night Bible study. 17:49 Full of folk that are rough around the edges. 17:53 And Paul says I don't look at any human being 17:58 according to the flesh, why? 'Cause I see them 18:03 for what Jesus Christ has done for them. 18:05 I see them for what Jesus Christ has done for them. 18:09 Verse 17 it says that, they would be a new creation. 18:12 The old has passed away, the new has come. 18:16 He is saying that it doesn't matter how bad 18:19 you are that in Jesus Christ 18:21 you can have a totally new life. 18:23 It's so new; it looks like a new creation. 18:27 In verse 18, he says the good news 18:30 and this is great news for all of us. 18:32 All of this is from God who through Christ 18:36 reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry 18:39 of reconciliation. All of this is from God. 18:45 Paul is saying to us that in his ministry, 18:49 he's motivated by the terror of the Lord, 18:51 the fear of the Lord. He is motivated by the love 18:54 of Christ and he sees that the love of Christ 18:58 can make people new creations 19:01 and this comes from God. 19:03 A new creation comes from God. It's not from man, 19:08 it's not from my power or my strength or my motivation, 19:12 it comes from God all of this is from God. 19:14 The new creation all comes from God. 19:17 Now in verse 18 he describes a little bit 19:19 more of what Jesus has done for us. He says again, 19:24 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled 19:27 us to himself and gave us the 19:29 ministry of reconciliation. Now verse 19, 19:32 that is, in Christ God was reconciling 19:38 the world to himself, not counting their trespasses 19:43 against them, and entrusting to us 19:46 the message of reconciliation. 19:49 Verse 19 has one of the most important messages 19:52 in the whole Bible. According to verse 19, 19:56 I always like to ask questions 19:57 when I'm speaking, according to verse 19 20:01 who was it that God in Christ 20:03 reconciled to himself. If you look at the verse, 20:08 it says that God was in Christ 20:10 reconciling the world. He reconciled the world 20:16 to himself. Now what does that mean? Well, 20:22 if you look back in the text it says that 20:23 he not only reconciled the world but because 20:25 he reconciled the world the Bible says that 20:28 he is not counting their trespasses against them. 20:32 Now, I want you to think with me for a moment 20:35 what that means? As we mentioned earlier 20:38 we said that the wages of sin is death. 20:42 So the way we can know that God is not counting 20:46 our sin against us is very simple. 20:49 Are you alive or dead? If your heart is beating, 20:55 you can know that right now God is not counting 20:58 your sin against you. See the Bible says that God 21:03 was in Christ reconciling the world, 21:05 not counting their sin against them. 21:10 If you're alive and your heart is beating, 21:14 God is not counting your sin against you. 21:18 He reconciled the world to himself. 21:21 He is not counting your sin against you. 21:24 However, if you refused to be reconciled to God, 21:30 in the judgment God will count your sin against you. 21:33 And that's what Paul is really urging us here, 21:37 in verse 20, Paul says therefore, 21:41 we are ambassadors for Christ, 21:44 God is making his appeal through us. 21:47 We implore you on behalf of Christ be reconciled to God. 21:54 You see God was in Christ reconciling the world 21:58 to Himself, now Paul says we are pleading with you 22:02 to be reconciled to God. God reconciled the world 22:05 to himself now God is saying to the world 22:08 be reconciled to me. You see in II Corinthians 5, 22:14 what Paul is saying is this, my friends the people 22:19 of this world God reconciled the world to himself, 22:24 He is not counting your sin against you. 22:27 He is not counting your sin against you. 22:30 And if you will be reconciled to me 22:35 then you will never have your sin 22:37 counted against you. Never have your sin 22:40 counted against you. My friend, think about it, 22:46 what is God's message to you today. 22:50 The message is so simple that God was in Christ 22:54 reconciling the world to himself. 22:59 Not counting your sin against them. 23:05 And he says I have done everything I can do, 23:07 I reconciled you to myself. 23:11 Now I am pleading with you to be reconciled to me. 23:17 I've reconciled the world myself 23:19 now you need to be reconciled to me. 23:23 See Paul understood something so beautiful 23:26 and something so powerful, he understood 23:28 that in the judgment every human being would be judged 23:32 and it was going to be a fearful thing for those 23:34 who did not choose to be reconciled to God. 23:38 So he was motivated by the love of Christ. 23:40 He was motivated to go to the world and say world 23:43 you are going to be judged, 23:45 you need to be reconciled to God. 23:49 See Paul was motivated by two things, 23:50 the fear of the Lord and the love of Christ. 23:57 The fear of the Lord has seen in the judgment, 23:58 the love of Christ is seen in the cross 23:59 of Jesus Christ, where he died for your sins. 24:02 where he died for your sins. He died for my sins, 24:03 he died to reunite the lost with God. 24:07 Now through the preacher, if a good Christian 24:12 folk were extending the Gospel invitation 24:15 to people all over this world he is 24:18 pleading with you to be reconciled to God. 24:20 He is saying to you, God is not counting 24:22 your sin against you, not right now 24:25 and if you'll be reconciled to God, 24:28 not only is he not counting your sin 24:30 against you, he will not count your sin 24:31 against you. In verse 21, the Bible tells us 24:36 why it is that God won't count our 24:38 sin against us? Because for our sakes 24:43 he made him to be sin, that is because God 24:46 the Father made Jesus Christ to be 24:47 sin for us who knew no sin, so that 24:51 we might become the righteousness of God. 24:53 Do you follow? Saying essentially that 24:58 God made Christ to be sin, that is Jesus 25:03 who knew nothing of sin, God made him to be sin 25:06 so that we might become righteous holding. 25:11 My friend, follow the simple message. 25:18 Fear of the Lord has seen in the Universal 25:22 truth of the judgment, but the love of Christ 25:26 is seen in the Universal truth of Christ' death 25:30 for every human being. No reason for 25:34 anyone to be lost because Christ has died for them, 25:37 you must simply choose God and Christ 25:43 and be reconciled to him. 25:44 The Bible says the reason that you 25:48 can be saved, the reason you can be 25:51 reconciled to God is because God 25:54 made Christ to be everything evil 25:56 and sinful that you were. He made him 26:01 to be sin who knew no sin that you 26:03 might become righteous. In chapter 6 verse 1 26:07 then, Paul says working together with him, 26:09 then, we appeal to you not to receive the 26:14 grace of God in vain. Every single breath 26:19 of air, every single ray of sunshine, 26:23 every morsel of food is a gift of God's grace. 26:28 Were it not for the Cross of Jesus Christ, 26:31 we would have no life, we would be 26:34 dead even now. And the Bible is calling us, 26:37 pleading with us to be reconciled to God, 26:40 to be reconciled to God. That all of the grace 26:44 that God has already shown us in our 26:46 life is not in vain. Paul was motivated 26:50 to go to ends of the earth to preach 26:51 the Gospel, by that fear of the Lord, 26:54 the understanding of the judgment 26:55 and by the love of Christ and understanding 26:58 Christ's death for every human being. 27:01 The unnecessary death every human being 27:05 that's lost, it's totally unnecessary 27:07 and this motivated Paul so that no 27:10 one would receive God's grace in vain. 27:11 So today I have an appeal and that 27:15 is for you to be reconciled to God. 27:18 God has done everything to bring 27:21 you to himself and now he invites 27:23 you to be reconciled to him. 27:26 Let's pray together. Father, for those 27:29 that are listening today, those that are 27:31 watching today I pray that they 27:35 would give their lives to you and be 27:38 reconciled to you. You've done for them 27:41 all could you do now may they do their part 27:46 and be reconciled to you, in Jesus name. Amen. 27:49 My friend, God bless you in your decision today. |
Revised 2014-12-17