All-In

The Love of Christ Controls Us

Sermon to help summarize what we have heard

Open your Bibles: 2 Cor 5:13: We’re going to do something today I really enjoy—walk through a text of Scripture that captures the center of who we are and what we do.

All-In Looks Crazy

2 Corinthians 5:13–21 (KJV 1900)

13 For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.

This is the greatest foundation for ministry, wanting to give something to others because Jesus gave you everything.

Acts 26:24 “24 And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.”

Fight outside of the Urgent Care - make sense if you knew why

14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:

15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.

17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

I see 3 things in Paul’s majestic passage here:

1. A motivation; 2. measure; and 3. a mission for how to live.

All of them center around a MESSAGE for any of you outside of Christ: The price has been paid for your sin; be reconciled to God. BUT FOR US, WHO ARE BELIEVERS, that means 3 things:

Exchanged life - Story of the kids in the mechanics / His life exchanged for them

A motivation to live sacrificially: the love of Christ! (v. 14)

● Paul says, vs. 14, “The love of Christ controls us ….” The love of Christ had become his guiding, motivating principle; he had started to see everything in his life through it.

What does it mean to be “constrained” by the love of Christ?

A. He has captured the 1st place in your heart

● Paul never seemed to get over his salvation experience. He said, “We are convinced that if Jesus died for us, then those who live should no longer live for themselves.”

● That’s our motivation for giving our lives. Let me be clear. We don’t give because God has needs. Our God multiplies loaves and fishes and pulls tax payment out of fish’s mouths. He never comes to us hat in hand saying, “Please, sir, can you spare some cash? Please, sir, just a little bit?” We don’t give because God has needs; we give because in giving we declare his value to us & our love for him.

Ever think about that? What does your generosity say about the value of Jesus to you?

○ Jesus said if you want to know what you really love, follow the trail of your money.

○ What does your giving say about his value to you?

To be constrained by the love of Christ means …

When the love of Christ controls you …

B. His love pours out of you toward others.

● Paul saw people in only two categories: saved and lost. See how he says (v. 16), Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: not Republican or Democrat; white or black; educated or blue-collar; we only see them as those who know Christ and those who don’t.

● 1912: Sinking of the Titanic … as word got back to England that the ship had sunk, people with relatives began to panic. A gigantic chalkboard was set up in downtown London with two columns: saved, and lost. There had been people from all classes of society … SAVED AND LOST.

● That’s how Paul sees the world. And he says, “I was one whom the love of Christ plucked up out of the waters of judgment; so now his love for other perishing people controls the agenda of my life.”

● If you really believe the gospel, it will change the course of your life. You can never see other people, or your life, the same again.

Does the love of Christ control you?

A measure for our sacrifice: Christ’s sacrifice for us (15, 21)

● Two words characterize Paul’s description of Christ’s sacrifice for us: total; substitutionary

A. Total (vs 15): He died for all. Our response ought to be in some measure the same.

B. Substitutionary. Paul writes one of greatest verses in all of Bible: [21] For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

● Jesus’ sacrifice was an exchange for us … on the cross, he took our place of condemnation (he became our sin); and gave us his position of privilege (we became his righteousness)

○ Gen 48:14–19. There is a story in the OT where Jacob is going to bestow the blessing on Joseph’s son. He crosses his hands, so that what should have gone to the older son (the inheritance, the position of privilege) went to the younger son; and what went to the younger went to the older. Joseph protested, but Jacob said, “No, this is how God would have it …” because he was giving a picture of the Messiah.

○ At the cross, God crossed his hands. He gave to Jesus what was coming to us, and to us what was coming to Jesus. The Great Exchange

● Don’t miss what Paul is doing here; in this context, he is using this as an example of our generosity … A believer takes what they have earned, what they deserve, and they bestow it onto others. They cross their hands: “The benefit of my success, or my talent, will not be for me, but for the lost world.”

○ “Remember the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul would say … and then you be that way. Paul says … switch hands like Jesus did!

Question: Is that how you see your resources? The world, of course, says that kind of mentality is crazy. Leverage what you have for someone else?

Well, in fact, the context of this passage is Paul defending himself against the charge that he is crazy. Did you see the first verse? For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God … (2 Corinthians 5:13)

13 For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God:

How do you know you’re giving enough?

A. It scares you

B. People (non-God fearing people) question your sanity.

The mission in our sacrifice: the ministry of reconciliation (vs. 18)

Paul says, “to (the church) God gave the ministry of reconciliation” (v. 18). The church has a unique, very important, mission: reconciling people to God.

● The gospel declares that Christ bore our sin in our place; but it doesn’t do them any good if they never hear about it.

● This is the ministry God gave to the church! The church is his primary instrument for reconciliation.

Which means two things:

1. Our focus in ministry at this church will always be the message of reconciliation.

2. Because the ministry of reconciliation is the most important ministry, and because it is the ministry given specifically to the church, the primary place of my investment will always be the local church.

● A lot of organizations do good in the world, and I support many of them out of my personal resources, but my primary calling is to invest in the organization with ministry of reconciliation.

● The church is God’s plan A, so it will be my primary focus for the investment of my life and resources.

Do you realize how important our role is? We, with all our problems, are God’s plan A for reconciliation.