07-03-20spec
07-03-18.02 vv 07-03-25.01
Title: “Why not Calvary?!”
FCF: we underestimate the power of the cross
D-Theme: the Cross is crazy, compelling, and conciliating
M-Thrust: bow before His majesty!
App: Since the Cross is crazy, compelling, and conciliating we must bow before His majesty!
Comment: everything came off excellent! The music, the message… it was a powerful evening… and so many said to me afterward.
Subject: Why Cavalry?
Date: 974231AECE9241A4B0AEA20FF379438B
Text: 2 Corinthians 5:6-21
6So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. 9Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences. 12For we do not commend ourselves again to you, but give you opportunity to boast on our behalf, that you may have an answer for those who boast in appearance and not in heart. 13For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; or if we are of sound mind, it is for you. 14For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. 16Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
• Introduction
• Have you ever had the experience of asking someone…
• Why are you going to ___________?
• And their response was “why not?”
• I have to confess that when I learned…
• …the theme for these services was “Why Calvary?”
• …my first reaction was “Why not Calvary?”
• And for me, sometimes my first reaction—my gut reaction…
• …is the leading from the Holy Spirit for the direction…
• …a sermon is to take…
• So I want to develop the thought of “Why not Calvary?”
• Because I can just imagine the angels of heaven…
• When they learned of the Father’s plan to send Jesus…
• For the ultimate end of him going to the cross…
• …might well have asked “Why Calvary?”
• …only to hear the Father say… “Why not Calvary?”
• Imagine for a moment if you will a life/world…
• Where there is no backdrop of Calvary…
• Where there is no crowd chanting “Crucify Him!”
• Where there are no taunting soldiers…
• Where there is no crown of thorns…
• Where there are no nails in the hands and feet…
• Where there is no spear in the side
• Where, because there is no cross…
• …there is no shed blood…
• no reconciliation, redemption, regeneration, remission…
• Imagine that in the light of this scripture reading…
• scripture reading................ 2 Corinthians 5:10-21
• we underestimate the power of the cross…
• When the Cross is crazy, compelling, and conciliating…!
• And we must bow before His majesty!
• So I want to speak to you first about…
• Crazy Love............................................... v. 10-13
• 13For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; or if we are of sound mind, it is for you.
• Have you ever been beside yourself…?
• That is an expression often used in the scriptures…
• In Acts twelve, Rhoda is said to be beside herself…
• When she told the disciples Peter was at the door…
• …because they knew he was in prison…
• And again in Acts 26:24 as Paul made his defense…
24…Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!”
• It was even said of Jesus…
John 10:20
20“…He has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to Him?”
• Here in verse thirteen Paul speaks of being beside himself…
• In response to the thought of the time that will come…
• When we will appear before the judgment seat of Christ…
• That we will have to give an answer to God…
• For the things done in the body—good or bad…
• As a result the apostle said he knows the terror of the Lord…
• And works to persuade men of the power of the cross…
• To deliver them from that terror…
• And there was nothing to keep him from his task…
• not labors, not stripes, not prisons, not being beaten with rods; not being stoned; not being shipwrecked; not being in perils of waters; of robbers; of his countrymen; of Gentiles; not being in perils in the city; in the wilderness; in the sea; among false brethren; not being in weariness and toil; not being in sleeplessness often; not being in hunger and thirst; not being in fastings often; not being in cold and nakedness [1]
• Not even being crazy or a fool…
• What drove Paul—what came upon him daily was his…
• 28…deep concern for all the churches. [2]
• The man was out of his mind, willing to endure such…
• For the sake of the church of Jesus Christ…
• Because the only remedy for the terror of the Lord…
• Is the power of the cross…
• What can you call that but…
• Compelling Love...................................... v. 14-17
• Paul saying in verse 14
• 14For the love of Christ compels us…
• ‘…that Christ loves us—causes us to act as we do.’ [3]
• His love is the controlling influence in our lives…
• We can’t imagine not acting the way we do…
• In fact, he said in…
1st Corinthians 9:16
16…for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!
• …even if it means appearing to be crazy…
• Can you imagine the world without Calvary…?
• Would there be a love so compelling…?
• That a man would be willing to endure so much…?
• And why…? Because it is at Calvary that…
• One died for all…
1st John 2:2
2He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
• Can you imagine no atonement for your sins…?
• Having to face that judgment seat on your own
• …with no defense for your sinful life…?
• No wonder Paul spoke of the terror of the Lord…!
• Imagine how much more darkness would be in the world…
• If the church as we know it didn’t exist…!
• Those called out of the world into his kingdom…
• …living no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
• The essence of sin is selfishness and self-seeking…
• Putting my needs before the needs of others…
• Seeking to serve myself and my desires…
• The essence of kingdom love loves others above self…
• Laying down our desires for the sake of another…
• Living selflessly—seeking to live for Jesus who died…!
• Only the love of Christ controlling us and compelling us…
• ‘…that Christ loves us causes us to act as we do.’ [4]
• It makes it possible for us to live for him…
• And not for ourselves—bringing light into darkness…
• Why Calvary…? Why not Calvary…!
• Because of Calvary Paul could boldly say…
• 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
• The old things being the desires of the flesh…
• Dominating our lives and determining our course…
• Those things have passed away—they are dead in Christ…!
• And in its place there is a new creation—life from death…!
• And the expression of Christ’s love for us in that…
• Compels us to be ambassadors for him in the world…
• Conciliating Love..................................... v. 18-20
• God has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation
• If you have experienced the power of the cross…
• To make you a new creation—to cause you to live for him…
• If you have known and do know the terror of the Lord…
• And know also that you have been freed from its tyranny…
• Having an answer for the judgment seat of Christ…!
• Then you have a ministry—the ministry of reconciliation…
• …that of conciliating love…
• 19that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them
• Not counting their transgressions of the will / law of God [5]
• Because of Christ—because of the power of the cross…
• Sins committed before knowing Jesus…
• Weren’t and aren’t counted against us…
• Can you imagine God taking note of your every iniquity…?
Psalm 130:3-4
3If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? 4But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.
• Beloved, the answer to Why Cavalry? is “Why not Calvary?!”
• If there is no Calvary then there is no power of the cross…
• There is no hope of escaping the terror of the Lord…
• There is no ministry of reconciliation…
• There is no forgiveness—the Lord is marking/counting…
• …no one would be able to stand @ his judgment seat…!
• And He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
• Our message is “there is a hill called Calvary…!”
• And @ that place there is hope for all of us…
• To be freed from the fear of death…
• And the certain fearful expectation of judgment…
• And our message is not ours alone…
• We are ambassadors for Christ…
• And as his ambassadors it is not our message…
• …but it is as though God were pleading through us…
• we implore you on Christ’s behalf
• Implore is one of the strongest terms Paul could use here…
• I’m begging you… I’m pleading with you… I beseech you…
• be reconciled to God…
• Don’t be estranged any longer—don’t live apart from God…
• Come into the fold—let him adopt you as his child…
• Why…?.......................................................... v. 21
• 21For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin
• A most staggering statement about Jesus…
• The One who knew no sin… who was without sin…
• He had done no violence—no deceit was in His mouth. [6]
• He was perfect in all of his ways
• And the clear teaching of the scripture is that this One…
• Is God in the flesh—God come in the flesh…
• Perfect and fully God while being perfect and fully man…
• You ask “Why Calvary…?”
• God made him sin… when he was @ Calvary…
• He became sin… God couldn’t look on him any longer…
• So He cried My God, My God, why have you forsaken me…?
• The One who is perfect, spotless, righteousness…
• …became the filth and offscouring of the world…
• And God judged SIN in Jesus Christ @ Calvary…
• He bore the wrath—he took the pain…
• And God did that for us…
• that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
• That instead of counting our sin…
• God counts Jesus righteousness…
• Jesus took the penalty he did not deserve…
• To give us the righteousness we could not earn…
• Conclusion
• Why Cavalry? “Why not Calvary?!”
• What other remedy is there for sin?
• What other hope is there for man?
• If there is no Calvary then…
• There is no reconciliation with God…
• There is no reconciliation with each other…
• There is no redemption—no Word of reconciliation
• There would be no grace of God to receive…
• We understand why the world would ask the question…
• Why on earth would God do that…?
• Why would he send his Son to Calvary and its cross…?
• we underestimate the power of the cross
• To cause us to bow before His majesty!
• Because we stand forgiven @ the cross…!
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[1] 2 Corinthians 11:23-28The New King James Version. 1982. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[2] 2 Corinthians 11:28The New King James Version. 1982. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[3] Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996, c1989). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament : Based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition.) (LN 37.13). New York: United Bible societies.
[4] Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996, c1989). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament : Based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition.) (LN 37.13). New York: United Bible societies.
[5] Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996, c1989). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament : Based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition.) (LN 88.297). New York: United Bible societies.
[6] The New King James Version. 1982 (Isaiah 53:9). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.