Open Your Heart 2 Corinthians 6:1-13

-We experience the full joy of salvation when we open our hearts to God’s people

Potatoes are funny things. Sometimes when you’ve had a bag of potatoes sitting around for a little while, you get a surprise. You’ll go to the pantry grab one and find that eyes have sprouted all over your potatoes. On the outside, things are a little rough, but on the inside, you’ve got a good potato. Unfortunately, sometimes you get exactly the opposite. You go to cut up a potato that looked perfectly find on the outside, but on the inside it was black and rotten. The truth gets revealed when you look below the surface. In today’s passage, Paul is going to address a heart matter in the church at Corinth, and I think we can learn a lot by what he says to them about our own hearts.

I. Time for a Change of Heart vv. 1-2

In our passage this morning, Paul addresses a very serious danger that all of us are facing:

It is possible to receive the grace of God, but in vain

What in the world does Paul mean by this? How is it possible?

I think there is a pertinent clue in v. 1.

Paul worked together with God to appeal to them

We receive the grace of God in vain when we fail to work with God, or even work against Him in our sanctification

Sometimes, we are working at cross purposes with God

What does this look like?

It is salvation without transformation

It is restoration to God without reconciliation to man

Most importantly, I think we need to remember that it doesn’t have to be this way!

Paul quotes Isaiah and reminds us of a few things:

God listens to us when we call on Him

God has appointed a day of salvation

God helps us

Our growth in grace is a work of the Lord, but we are invited to participate in it!

I think it is worth asking yourself, “Am I living in a way that hinders the work of God in my life?”

If so, it is time for a change of heart!

We don’t just repent and believe the gospel so that we will be saved; we repent and believe the gospel because we are saved!

Years ago, Suzanne and I were in Vermont, trying to find the inn where we would be staying. We had an early generation GPS unit and the directions were just a little off. We spent close to an hour driving in circles within a few miles of our destination, but it was clear we were not getting any closer. Before we could ever get to where we were going, we had to change our minds about the authority we trusted. We stopped following the GPS and pulled out an old-fashioned road map. When we stopped following a faulty guide, we ended up exactly where we intended in just a few minutes! But, I want you to consider the pathway: A change of heart became a change of authority, a change of authority became a change of direction, a change of direction became a change of destination.

II. Time to Check Your Heart vv. 3-10

Next, Paul shares his own example with the Corinthians.

He has attempted to live in a way that would commend his ministry to them

Likewise, he does not want to live in a way that prevents others from following Jesus

Paul outlines three distinctive characteristics of his way of life:

He endures hardship:

Paul’s life has been marked by endurance in every kind of circumstance

He has endured persecution at the hands of unbelievers

He has suffered the calamities of life

He has worked hard and paid the price of doing the work of the Gospel

He exhibits righteousness:

His character is the character of Christ, as the Holy Spirit bears fruit through Him

The power of God is present in his life so that God’s work is evident in Him

He lives a cross-shaped life:

Paul goes into v. 8 and shows us a powerful contrast

He experiences both honor and dishonor, slander and praise

He is honorable, but is treated in dishonorable ways

There is a broad gap between how he is perceived and his true character

This is the way of Jesus

If you look back to the cross of Christ, He is treated as a criminal

In truth, He is the king!

This distinctive character of the cross is the key to Christian living. Jesus told us that we must “carry our cross”

Is that something that you are willing to do?

Are you kicking against your cross?

What would grace be if it were not cheap?... Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate. Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him. Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: "ye were bought at a price," and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.” ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

Matthew 16:24–26

[24] Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. [25] For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. [26] For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? (ESV)

III. Time to Open Your Heart vv. 11-13

There is a very practical application of these principles present here

Paul’s relationship with the church has been broken!

He was the founder of their church and led them to Christ

After his departure, a group of men that he calls the “super apostles” arrive

They are false teachers who draw people away from the faith

In really important ways, they create conflict so that the people reject Paul and his leadership

They claim superior spirituality, wisdom, giftedness, and fruitfulness. Paul can’t seem to measure up!

Paul is writing this letter because he wants to be reconciled to the church in Corinth and he says something that is important:

“Our heart is wide open”

I think its worth noting here that he is the aggrieved party, yet he is the one pursuing the reconciliation

If there’s anyone who would have claim to “close” his heart, it would be Paul

He has moved on and is physically distant from them

He does not have a need for their fellowship

However, he recognizes that this broken relationship is preventing him from experiencing the full effect of the Gospel in his life

Now, he issues an invitation to the Corinthians: “Widen your hearts also”

They have slandered Paul and viewed him with suspicion. In important ways, they have turned their backs on him

Now, there is a moment for reconciliation, but they must also open their hearts for it

We have to make a conscientious decision to lead our hearts, not to follow them!

Matthew 6:21

[21] For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (ESV)

Newspaper columnist and minister George Crane tells of a wife who came into his office full of hatred toward her husband. "I do not only want to get rid of him, I want to get even. Before I divorce him, I want to hurt him as much as he has me."

Dr. Crane suggested an ingenious plan "Go home and act as if you really love your husband. Tell him how much he means to you. Praise him for every decent trait. Go out of your way to be as kind, considerate, and generous as possible. Spare no efforts to please him, to enjoy him. Make him believe you love him. After you've convinced him of your undying love and that you cannot live without him, then drop the bomb. Tell him that your're getting a divorce. That will really hurt him." With revenge in her eyes, she smiled and exclaimed, "Beautiful, beautiful. Will he ever be surprised!" And she did it with enthusiasm. Acting "as if." For two months she showed love, kindness, listening, giving, reinforcing, sharing. When she didn't return, Crane called. "Are you ready now to go through with the divorce?"

"Divorce?" she exclaimed. "Never! I discovered I really do love him." Her actions had changed her feelings. Motion resulted in emotion. The ability to love is established not so much by fervent promise as often repeated deeds. 

I think we need to consider this moment for ourselves:

Am I living in a way that hinders the work of God in my life? (sanctification)

Am I willing to take up my cross and follow Jesus? (justification)

Is there someone I need to open my heart for? (reconciliation)