Summary of Chapter 5 so far…
- This body is. being changed into the likeness of Christ
- Through many trials we go through our outward man is broken so the glory of Christ can shine through us.
- There is the hope that we are going to be like Christ someday with a new body
- These bodies will be absorbed by a new body
- We will be changed.
- Knowing this, Paul is motivated by the fact that he is going to stand before Jesus someday and be judged for all of his life
- “Mitzvah” Those things we do yonder what we are required to do
- His other motivation is he knows what it is to fear the Lord.
- Walk in love. Obedience, and fear.
How does he live because of this motivation?
- Our message in light of eternity Vs 11
- We persuade men
- Knowing the place of men apart from Jesus and being in Jesus, we persuade them to live differently
- We know what it is to fear God, we warn people not to fall into the hands of the consuming fire of God.
- Like the woman caught in the act of adultery
- The motivation is not judgement and death
- It is the hope and forgiveness of Christ
- But there is a cost of rejection of Christ
- Paul was not just throwing out ideas, he was motivated to persuade men
- Paul knew the heart of God in this matter
- He was frustrated that he had to persuade the Corinthian Christians about their future.
2. Paul defends and describes his ministry Vs. 12
- Paul was not bragging about his spirituality in front of the Corinthians
- He was almost at the point of death and he knew their prayers were all that got him through.
- Paul knew that there were those who thought less of Paul because of all of his struggles.
- There were those who only looked on the outward appearance and not on what was happening in the heart of a person
- Blessed = favor of God
- Trials = something spiritually wrong that we don’t know about
- Paul is making the point that God is working though all of these struggles to make him more like Christ.
- EXAMPLE: God to Samuel “The LORD does not see as a man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16 7
- It is so easy to have a judgement about everything we see around us.
- It is not that outward appearance is not important, but compared to the heart it almost is.
3. Paul isn’t crazy, but he is motivated by love of God Vs 13 -15
- Paul was accused of being out of his mind
- He went through many trials because of his motivation of spreading the gospel.
- He could have just been a teacher at a synagogue
- Jesus was also accused of being insane because of his lifestyle (See Mark 3: 21, John 10: 20
- Paul is letting them know that his motivation is for God first and then for them.
- He put up with anything to honor God and others
- Motivation for ministry in this valley
- When we really love Christ and are compelled to live for him…
- We will put up with many things in order to serve others
- Spurgeon Why do it? The Love of Christ. Why go on? The love of Christ. I have the love of Christ in my heart so I have a love for others around me.
- To say the love of Christ constrains us is to say that the love of Christ has power. It is a force that can bind us and influence us.
- Christ died for all then all died.
- His death was able to save all who will come to Him
- This showed God’s love for mankind (See John 3: 16)
- 1 John 1: 22He is the payment for our sins, and not ours only but also for the whole world.
- This is not universalism where all are saved. (See John 3: 17)
- We died with Him which shows that we need to join ourselves with him in his death (See Romans 6: 1 – 6)
- We no longer live for ourselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
- If we died to ourselves, then we live for Him.
- We are created for the pleasure of God (Revelation 4: 11)
- It is the constant battle in our lives to want to live for ourselves and judge what we want to do with our lives.
- This is expressed in how we live for others.
- We serve others
- We provide for the needs of others around us
- We show the love of Christ even to those who are taking our possessions from us. (See Hebrews 10: 34
4. Because of Christ earthly attachments are far less important. Vs 16
- We look at others through different eyes
- We do not look at things which are seen but things which are unseen 4: 18
- This earthly tent will be destroyed but we will have a new body eternal in the heavens 5: 1
- We walk by faith not by sight 5: 7
- We do not glory in appearance, but in the heart 5: 12
- We are not trying to just follow Christ as he lived in the flesh, but we are trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit to guide us.
- NOTE Paul says we have known Christ according to the flesh so there is a chance he heard Jesus speaking. He is saying now he knows him according to the Spirit and it is far better.
- The disciples followed him in the flesh and all deserted him
- When they followed in the spirit, they laid down their lives for him.
- This is why Paul said it is to your advantage that I go away and the spirit comes to you (See John 16: 7)
- NOTE Paul says we have known Christ according to the flesh so there is a chance he heard Jesus speaking. He is saying now he knows him according to the Spirit and it is far better.