II Corinthians 5:11 - 7:4

MESSAGE, MOTIVE, MINISTRY
CHECK IT OUT: When you received the Lord Jesus Christ, you entered into a permanent relationship with HIM!!! Nothing you can do will ever disrupt that relationship…”never leave you or forsake you!” 6:17 would seem to put some condition upon the fellowship of that relationship…what do you think?
What we believe and how we behave always go together. The problem most often lies in the body of the mind and translates into action in the behavior of the believer. One lady said to a pastor upon leaving church one day, “You would have preached a marvelous sermon except for all those ‘therefores’ at the end!” (Paul always had some therefore in his letters.) Wrong actions and wrong attitudes always come from wrong thinking!
As we take up our study in II Corinthians 5:11, we find that Paul has moved from explanation to application…his theme is motivation for ministry. Paul’s enemies accused him of using the Gospel for his own selfish purposes but in reality they were the ones who were merchandising the Gospel – 2:17, 4:1.
What was Paul’s ministry and what is the ministry of the Christian?...To persuade sinners to be reconciled to God. Never forcing people to trust Christ or coerce them by some devious approach. . .I Thess 2:3 You and I must have the right motive for ministry as well as the right message.
5:11 Paul speaks of ‘fear of the Lord’. It is healthy for you and I to examine and have the assurance of FEAR in our life. Fear of the LORD: the constant awareness that God knows everything that I think, say, and do and He will deal with me accordingly! With that constant awareness, we will be more sensitive to His gentle nudging in our everyday life. Many today speak of spiritual things in a jesting manner…robs the Bible of its glory and power. There is a sad absence of reverence in the public arena …is there any wonder that the younger generation is not taking the things of God seriously??!
In examining our individual life, would we find:
*WE LABOR ambitiously and strive earnestly to be pleasing to Him? We turn from selfish ambition to holy ambition that honors the Lord. A man-pleasing ministry is a carnal, compromising ministry.
What is well-pleasing to Him? Romans 12:1 living sacrifice…14:18 not cause others to stumble… Eph. 5:10 separate from evil…and so forth… Heb.13:20-21 permitting Jesus Christ to work out His perfect will in their lives.
Godly ambition is good! It compels to take the message! If believers – led by the Sprit, would put as much drive into Christian living and service as they do athletics or business, the Gospel would make a greater impact on the lost world. Once a new Christian commented, “I want to be as zealous for God as I was for the devil before.”
*WE MUST ALL APPEAR; are you preparing to appear? v.10: Prepare to appear! BEMA – Judgment Seat of Christ. Paul was ambitious for the Lord because he wanted to meet Him with confidence and not shame. BEMA will be a place of reckoning – if we allow Christ to live His life through us, it will be a place of REWARD and RECOGNITION! A time of REJOICING. The important thing is the joy of pleasing Christ and honoring Him.
*WE PERSUADE MEN; Are you prepared to persuade? Some cautions as we prepare for the BEMA…a clear conscience 1:12 – does your outside/inside match?; don’t depend on the praise of men 5:12; ignore the criticism of men 5:13. Sometimes – in fact, often people may think that you are crazy.
Self-examination is healthy! Are you prepared to give a good account before Christ?...that is a worthy motive for Christian service.
v.15 AND HE DIED FOR ALL – is there something about that phrase that is not understandable? Not clear? We view others differently now that we are born again!
v.17 A BORN AGAIN IS A NEW CREATION: v.18 therefore, now I should view others differently! And recognize my “ministry of reconciliation –that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him. V.19 Our heavenly Father was the epitome of FORGIVENESS (NOT counting up and holding against others their trespasses but cancelling them).
v.21 that we might become…APPROVED, VIEWED AS BEING IN, EXAMPLE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD, ACCEPTABLE AND IN RIGHT RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM!
God does not have to be reconciled to man, that was accomplished by Christ on the cross. It is sinful man who must be reconciled to God. RELIGION is man’s feeble effort to be reconciled to God…efforts that fail. The Lord “put to one’s account”. When Christ died on the cross, He put an amount to your account or to your credit. For all your sins…went to His account. All those sins have been paid for and God no longer holds them against us…God has put to our account the righteousness of Christ 5:21.
Reconciliation is based on this imputation…God’s holy Law met fully on the cross. When sinful man received the Savior, their sins will never be imputed against them again. The message of this reconciliation is now ours! When others reject us and our message, it is Jesus Christ Who is actually rejected. You and I are heavenly ambassadors to the rebellious sinners of this world.
As having the ministry of reconciliation: We can be peacemakers, conflict solvers by reconciling those Christians who are embittered with lack of forgiveness, hurtful pasts, etc. … reconciling to one another in the Body of Christ and reconciling to Him in healing.
Ministry is not easy. If we are to succeed, we must be motivated by the fear of the Lord, the love of Christ, and the commission that He has given to us individually.
HEART TO HEART
Can YOU say with Paul? Paul has told the Corinthians: in spite of trials, I have a triumphant ministry; a glorious ministry; and he could not ever think of quitting. Altho’ accused of using the ministry for personal gain, he had proved his ministry to be sincere, based on faith in God. Now, Paul challenges the hearts of the Corinthians and assures them of his love.
In the first 10 verses of chapter 6, Paul reiterates what all he has done for the Corinthians and the Kingdom. It appears that they had not and were not expressing gratitude to Paul. It has well been said, “If you want to find gratitude, look in the dictionary.” Are you and I showing gratitude to those who have ministered to us?
v. 1 of 6 “…don’t receive the grace of God in vain, expresses the purpose of good works, and stresses that ‘today is the day of salvation’. NOW is the best time…maybe the only time! Don’t be found guilty of saying “not God’s timing”…He says the time is NOW.
v. 11 ARE YOU TRANSPARENT? Paul is TRANSPARENT…his heart was open to them and he is appealing that they open their hearts toward him. He is appealing for them to be separate from evil. Their hearts were divided. The false teachers had stolen their hearts and they were cool toward Paul. They were compromising with the world. Separation is not isolation, but the other extreme is tearing down walls and fellowship with anybody, regardless of what they believe or live. Christian love must be discerning.
Nature determines association. A pig has a pig’s nature…it associates with other pigs in the mud hole. A sheep munches grass with the flock in the pasture. The Christian possessed a divine nature and therefore he should want to associate himself only with that which pleases the Lord.
Is there a stark contrast with you and the world? Holy should be separated from unholy. When a saved person marries an unsaved partner, it sets up an impossible situation; and the same thing applies to business partnerships and religious “fellowship.”
God calls us to “come out” – a definite act on our part. Devotion to God for a special purpose. Separation is not just a negative act of departure; it is also a positive act of dedication to God. We must separate FROM sin and UNTO God. Doctrinal and personal purity. IN the world, but cautious and careful to not become like the world. We must not associate with that which will compromise our testimony or lead us into disobedience.
God the Father is the Father of those “in Christ”…but He will not act as your Father if you live in disobedience. V. 18 AND I will be a Father to you…..dependent upon the preceding verses. And 7:1 …expresses our responsibility
In our desire for doctrinal and personal purity, we must not become so self-centered that we ignore the needy world around us. It is “contact without contamination.” Otherwise, we will isolate ourselves from the people who need our ministry the most. (Do not use the ministry of reconciliation as a means of enjoying sin with a legitimate excuse!)
v. 2- 4 Paul’s assurance of love. He was willing to die for them if necessary, for they were in his heart. He was boasting of them to others.