Christs life & ministry is revealing Christ - the New Creation...
2 Cor: 5:11-15 · Bob Eckel · Jun 25, 2017
2 Corinthians (2017), No. 24
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://www.hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/49261720446322

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

All right, Randy, since you're bold and outward this morning, why don't you read the verses before us. 2 Corinthians 5, 11-15. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men that we are made manifest to God. And I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences. We are not again committing ourselves to you, but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God. If we are of sound mind, it is for you.

For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died. And he died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who died and rose again on their behalf. All right, so this is part one of a several part series that we've entitled Christ's Life and Ministry is Revealing to Christ, the New Creation, part one. So Roger, I borrowed most of the things from Hal, which is the 2004 class he did.

Remember how we ended last week, we dealt with this issue about the judgment seat of Christ and the conclusion is the judgment seat is there to be examining each and every one of us for what was done to his glory and those things that were not will be dismissed. That doesn't mean we shouldn't be concerned about those things that are not, because we are reminded by the Spirit that we're here to glorify God. And that abiding truth that Randy pointed out last week is really what we're talking about, the abiding in the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's going to be the theme kind of going forward here, although the term abiding is not used in the verses that we're studying here.

So verse 11, knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men that we're all well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences. So, knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord. Knowing here is factual knowledge. Remember, knowing can be interpreted a number of different ways. This is simply facts. So, knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord. Wow, the terror of the Lord, the fear of the Lord. Pretty strong language here. What is therefore, therefore?

Go back and look. Tom, you go to the head of the class. That response. I'm already there. Well. Well, let's see. I think Roger has an edge on you here. So, therefore really relates to what preceded, we're talking about the judgment seat, and therefore the terror of the Lord must relate to the judgment seat, right?

And I say, to whom is this terror directed? And the help here is, does we persuade men help here? Who's the terror of the Lord directed towards? Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. Unbelievers, don't you think? We're talking about the terror of the Lord is not to the believer, the terror of the Lord is to the unsaved. And I think that fits really well. Matthew 25, 46, and these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous unto eternal life.

So that's kind of great white throne judgment kind of stuff. And I think that's where the terror is directed. So we persuade men really as an act of evangelism, as Cheryl's trying to do with Sue here. So anyway, I think the terror can't be directed towards us. Otherwise we have to go back and reinterpret 5.10, don't we?

That's been the theme of why he's been writing about it. We've been out here on this missionary journey trying to present the gospel to people. Any other thoughts here about to whom the terror of the Lord? Do we live in the fear of the terror of the Lord? If we do, we're under law. And if you read The Hungry Heart today, law plus grace is worthlessness. Law minus grace is life. Grace minus law is life. So take a look at The Hungry Heart today.

Is this the basis by which the unsaver brought home to be saved, do you think? The terror of the Lord, is that the way we bring people to salvation? For God to love the world, love seems to be The key word, if you will, of God's action on our behalf, or mankind's actions, on behalf of mankind, is love for mankind. Do people get saved by the terror of the Lord and fear of it, do you think? Some might. I think when we recognize our need for salvation, what are we being saved from?

And I think that's, we tend to not present the terror, we tend to present the hope, right? That the hope comes as a response to the terror is just kind of a perspective presentation. Interestingly enough, biblically, there's more description of the terror of the Lord eternally than there is about what heavenly places are all about, right? Yeah, I'm not saying that people can't be saved, but the persuasion of men doesn't really reflect kind of an atmosphere of bringing the terror of the Lord to their attention. It might come up, good, but persuading is kind of this intelligent discussion about what true salvation is all about. And the Spirit's got a lead in each and every circumstance that comes up for all of us here.

What about us? Well, you know, what do we make of verses like 2 Corinthians 7-1, which we're not to yet. Therefore, having these promises beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."

This is to the church. In terms of what we covered last week and what we're reading here today, how do we interpret this? Loving discipline can be tough love at times. Tough love, okay. But doesn't, isn't this kind of a warning of sorts? Having these promises and we don't, out of context we're not seeing what the promises are.

Beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Well, explain fear. Isn't it a worship of? Yes, it can. worship, the respectful worship of the Lord. So you think that's interpreted differently here in 7.1 than it is in 5.11 where we're at right now in terms of the terror of the fear of the Lord?

Well, that word, if I remember correctly, the word for fear, you can look through all the occurrences and you can, you have to decide whether it's a reverential fear or it's a fear. It can be interpreted by context. So you have to look at the context. So the question is, what's the context here? Well, let's turn to it.

Let's go back to 2 Corinthians 7.1 or move forward to 2 Corinthians 7.1. Of course, 7.1 means it followed 6.18, right? Let's look at 6.18. 17 and 18.

Wherefore, come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, and will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty, having therefore these promises." So the promises are what?

Well, it relates to our separation. What does our separation mean? From the world. What's that? Separation from the world. Separated from the world. What does that mean in terms of the walk of the believer, Jack? Well, don't let the love of the world take the place of the Lord himself.

But we live in a world. We have homes, we have automobiles, we have jobs, we have retirement packages, we have you know, automobile insurance and home insurance. I mean, we live in a world system. Yeah, but there's that incessant thing of the old man who thinks, gee, if I just had this car or that car. Well, but we all have cars, many people. Yeah, we do.

But don't let that be the center of your life. Okay, that's, I think, on the right track. What else does it mean to be separated? Does that mean... You've been redeemed. What kind of TV shows we watch or movies? I mean, is that being... not dancing? Alright, I think that's kind of what we're talking about. Tom? A little bit of an add-on to that, separated from but separated to, and I think you just heard mention of that possibility.

Okay, my interpretation would be that the fear of the Lord in 7.1, the reason I brought that up is how do we place that into context in terms of understanding what Paul's about here in 2 Corinthians 5.11, the verse that follows, the judgment seat of Christ. I suspect when we're separated, we're walking by the Spirit with a heavenly view of this world system we live in, and that separation is a citizenship played out in our day-to-day existence. Ultimately, we're not separated from working in the world system, from driving automobiles and having home insurance. or even maybe what movie we watch, but I think the Holy Spirit needs to work within us to know what things we're comfortable with in the Lord.

I mean, Margaret and I last night watched a hallmark movie. It's always a good ending. There's no swearing, there's no sex, there's nothing else but a fun love story that ends well. But all that aside, I don't feel like I have any concerns about watching that kind of movie, but I'm not going to place that judgment on anybody else here.

That being separated, I think is separated onto a mindset and a soul and a life that brings glory to God, and that's citizenship played out. on this earthly existence. Any other thoughts here? So the fear of the Lord there in 7.1 relates to this fact. When we step outside that sanctification domain, we're now... The fear is reverence, I think, for the Lord and who he was and what he's done for us each individually. Is that okay? Randy? I think it's important when we understand our position that we can then look at fear as a representation of reverence.

When I identify that I am walking in sin, which I know that doesn't happen to anybody else in this room. No, it doesn't. Only you, Randy. Can I meet each one privately after this? When that happens, I honestly, I think I would describe my realization as fear out of reverence, not fear of condemnation, but recognizing that this is not righteousness which the Lord desires from me. Now to take that a step further this is a bit overly spiritualizing but is it that fear of loss of fellowship? I mean, when we fall into the lack of who we are in Christ, we're working out of the flesh.

Therefore, having these promises, meaning all these, the idea of everything God's offered us as separated or sanctified citizens, let's cleanse ourselves from all this garbage, right? Because if we have all this garbage entering in, those promises tend to be distant and not realized on a day-to-day basis. Everybody okay with that?

And again, if the judgment seat of Christ is about these things in our life, then we're misinterpreting this verse. But if what we discussed last week is really biblical truth, the judgment seat is not about punishment, it's about rewards and dismissing wood, hay, and stubble, then this has to have a different meaning for us as believers. I don't mean to go too tangential here, but we have verses like this that come up throughout the scriptures that make you think, gosh, if I have any wrong thoughts, or if there's anything I didn't do that's really bringing glory to the Lord, goodness gracious, he's going to come down and slap me. And so many people think the consequences of our life here are due to our falling back into the world system of the flesh.

Yeah, there's some consequences that come from that, but they begin with lack of fellowship. And boy, the Lord allows us to get away with this stuff all the time because we're sons and we're daughters, we're placed in Him and that cross is final and sufficient. That doesn't mean we want to go there because when we're there the Spirit reminds us we're not that sanctified body that He's called us to. Everybody okay with this?

But we're well-known or made manifest to God. I like it kind of the interpretation in some versions made manifest instead of well-known. What do you think being made manifest to God means? Notice the passive tense here. Our position in Him? Ready? I just said our position in Him. Wonderful. And Roger? I was going to say, this is Christ living His life through us. It has to be. If it's passive, He's living His life and that's being shown abroad. It's like we'll see in believers, we'll say, well that's Christ living His life in that believer. We'll observe that. They may not even observe that. Many times. And that's the way the Lord works. Thanks, Roger. That's really good. I can't interpret this in any other way.

It's who we are in Christ. We're being made manifest by our walk by faith. As we walk by faith, we're being conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ day in and day out. That's what being manifest is all about. Pass a voice. That means we respond by faith, but it's He that works out that life in us by our faith. Remember, we're not robots. We still have to respond to God's word by our response in faith to the great grace he's given us.

I also trust our well-known or made manifest in your consciences. Trust this present active indicative. This is something that is being realized day in and day out and it's factual. that were being well known or made manifest in your consciences. What's this all about being made manifest in your consciences? Whose consciences? The real you. You're talking to all of us. What about your consciences in terms of my behavior, my walk?

That's one subject that the Holy Spirit is individual on, if you integrate it right. Of course there are examples to follow, but not every human example is perfect. True, we get distracted there. You focus on how the Holy Spirit has to deal with it specifically. So you think this is directed towards the body, your consciences, all of this class here, our consciences. is where this is being applied. Okay. Okay in verse 11? Alright, let's go to 12 then.

For 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. Wow. A loaded verse here, isn't it? For we do not commend or boast about ourselves again to you, but give you opportunity to boast on our behalf In the flesh, aren't we the focus of all boasting? Some of you may not be.

We tend to want to promote ourselves, don't we? It reminds me of the verse that says we're to boast in the Lord. We don't boast in other things, but we do boast. I think Paul says that in another letter, talking about boasting in the Lord. So there is an opportunity to boast, but it's not about ourselves.

I thought Margaret falsely accused me of this yesterday. Margaret's not going to do that then herself. You missed this in context, honey. We'll talk privately a little after class. We'll talk about it. That's okay, we're all friends here. That will delay the rest of the class, I can assure you.

What's this posting about anyway? What's Paul talking about here? You said what? Boasting in the flesh? Is that what you said? Yeah, what would be the boasting about? What do you think Paul is relating this to? If we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer. Okay, a little bit different translation there. Anyway, that you may have somewhat an answer to those who boast a glory in appearance and not in heart.

So the boasting that would be to bring glory to the Lord is an honorable boasting. We boast about who we are and ultimately God's grace about how it's influenced our life. Others are inquiring about this. This is something worthy of boasting of, not ourselves, but to God be the glory. Again, those who boast or glory in appearance and not in heart, really is a fleshly existence, isn't it? Again, that's flesh, not spirit. So the boasting is ultimately to bring glory to the Lord.

I've got a couple of long sections of scripture here that really relate to this. So let's read this together. It's in your handout. 1 Corinthians 12 to 14. For our boasting is this, the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God and more abundantly towards you. For we are not writing any other thing to you than what you read or understand. And I trust you will understand, even to the end, as also you have understood us in part, that we are your boast as you also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus."

Wow, that section of scripture doesn't really reproduce perfectly what Paul's getting at here, I think, in 2 Corinthians. Another section in Galatians, I think, is very useful, 12 through 14. As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh.

But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. Wow. It's tough to top that scripture, isn't it, in terms of putting boasting into perspective. Notice, even the Jew, the formal Jew who's circumcised, is boasting in the flesh. And many of them actually, they would compel you to be circumcised, but they are circumcised who are keeping the law, are not really keeping the law, because they're doing it under a control mechanism that only brings attention to themselves.

Everybody okay here? The boastings about other than self and other than things that the world would ultimately take into significance. And we have to also remember in Corinth there was a lot of arrogance, right? Yeah, very sophisticated society, right? Yeah, there was a lot of pride and you would brag about yourself because you were just part of your eloquence and part of your status and so apologize.

He's countering that. We shouldn't be living that way. We shouldn't be thinking that way. He's not encouraging them to be thinking of him that way. So let's make that practical, Randy. How does that get accomplished in our lives then? By boasting to God's glory rather than to ourselves.

You look it up in the scripture, what are the contents that God's glory encompasses. And you look at what's encompassing, and it's of the Lord, that's worth glorying about. And if it connects with your life, to where he's done something in you, that's something that you can glorify God about. So, Tom, is that glorying something we perceive, do you think?

No, because you're looking at God's word and seeing where the Holy Spirit is at work in you and doing a change that you couldn't do. Okay? Other thoughts on that? Well, I wonder if it's, you know, we talk about this often about the fact that it's almost impossible for the believer to really know, and if we try to know, is the Spirit really working in us? It's very hard for us to perceive that. But it seems it's much easier, and Scripture points to that, it's much more appropriate for us to observe it in another believer.

So it seems like here he's saying, it's okay if you see the Holy Spirit working in Tom, and I'm allowed to boast boasts in the Lord about what he's doing in Tom's life. Or in Hal's life, or in Bob Eccles' life, or Margaret, whoever. That seems to be the mechanism.

I don't see it saying we should boast in ourselves. We boast in the Lord. So it's always outside of ourselves. But don't you sometimes draw attention to something you've done you feel is good and brings glory to the Lord? I think when you do that, you have to pause a second. Who's getting the credit here?

And you know, it's up to the Lord to say whether the things that we've done, said, or our walk in the Lord Jesus Christ is bringing glory to himself. We won't know until the judgment seat of Christ. No, and this is all what the lesson was about last week. I mean, that those things that he has prepared for us, you know, we will hopefully do. But if we're checking on it every minute to see, oh, did I do this? Did I do that?

It's subtle. But the interesting thing is, it's totally the opposite of what the world system is. Right. Because if you're looking for a job, you want to enhance your CV every bit you can to get, you know, so that they see how great you've been in your previous job. All right. So it's totally the opposite. But let's take this to the task. So in our CV, do we misrepresent ourselves? No, we don't. We truthfully indicate the facts of who we are, where we've been, and what we're doing, right?

But the point is, we're saying all the good things that we've done in our job career, because that's part of the world system. We live in the world, but we're not of it. I think that's a good reminder to each and every one of us every day. We live in this world system but we're not of this world system.

But look at all these people they did their CVs and they said they graduated from such and such a college with all these degrees and all this stuff and then they actually checked it and those people never even went to those schools. There are examples of that. Hopefully that's not too common. But even in the world system you have to measure up but you also have to be truthful. It's too easy to check on things now. Winning?

For a dummy, what's a CV? A CV is a curriculum vitae. It really outlines your education. A curriculum vitae? It outlines your... Resume. Oh, it's a resume. In science, it's really a documentation of where your education's been, your training opportunities, and then your job and publications to follow. So it's like a resume. Okay. Thank you. First and third one out the eighth inning. You're up by one run. Where do you put the shortstop? Okay. All right. Well, that's it. Sorry. Never mind.

Alright, do you think that our in Christ behavior is to benefit the body and or the unsaved? This boasting to God's glory, which is ultimately the spirit in us that's recognized by others, not so much ourselves. Is that to benefit the body and or the unsaved? I think so. Do you think in context it applies to the body more than the unsaved? Do you think it applies to both?

That's God's call, you don't have to try to fine tune it. Okay, Tom has answered the question, it's God's call. Well, Bob, I think in the body we have, because we have the Holy Spirit in us, we are able to observe that and place it in the right perspective. The world can't put it in the right perspective. They're confused by the Christian. That's a good point, Roger. And they can be confused most times. Did you peep from the back here at what Roger said? But keep in mind now, the terror of the Lord is to the unsaved, right? But the unsaved don't give glory to God as they look at our walk, do they? Verse 13, for if we are beside ourselves, it's for God, for if we are of sound mind, it's for you.

Say what? OK, beside ourselves really kind of means to be astonished. I mean, besides ourselves, we're going to look at this a little bit more in detail over the next few bullet points. But this is kind of speaking in tongues kind of stuff. I mean it's really kind of miraculous operation of the spirit within us that really is not being sober minded. That doesn't mean you're drunk. It means that there are things going on in your life that is really reflecting of a power that is not of yourselves. Let's look at this a little bit more. So the exchange life portrayed, if you will, a work of astonishment. Here's an example of this.

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. So Peter's doing something that they can't believe he's really doing. Yeah, everybody thought Gentiles were ineligible receivers.

Well, not only that, but Peter's got this kind of this new language, this kind of stuff they've never heard. This is a Jew. And he's a fisherman. So the astonishment that they're experiencing really is something that's totally unexpected. Not only to the Gentiles, but also Peter. What's going on with this guy? And this is Acts 10. This is fairly early in the apostolic age. And to God be the glory. So if we're of sound mind or be sober, it's for you. How is this different from being beside yourselves? Being of sound mind is beside ourselves. Can we be beside ourselves today?

Or having this incredible spirit-led capability of astonishing the world around us? Well, the people speaking in tongues would claim this, right? I mean, dancing in the spirit and all this kind of stuff. What's our interpretation of that kind of acts of the spirit in today's body? Randy, you've got personal experience in this space, right? Yeah. So it's all flesh played out. Is that not our best interpretation of that being beyond ourselves? Well, it's... I've put a lot of time researching this. But a lot of it has... it's a psychological phenomenon.

And when you come with expectation and you practice certain things, you can get yourself worked up into an ecstatic state you know the whirling dervish that we hear about the Turkish warrior would get himself pumped up full of adrenaline and get himself in an ecstatic state and go out into battle and it's doing the exact same thing only calling it spirituality. Okay and so misinterpreted and they give the glory to God but in fact is that really glory to be given to God when these kinds of out of life experiences show up. We're going to see some examples of this that maybe make this a little bit more understood.

Is this how Paul was perceived, do you think? 1 Corinthians 9, 19, I'm going to skip to 22 here. For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win them all. To verse 22, to the weak, I became the weak, that I might win the weak, and I become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. So Paul, through a series of circumstances that we read about in scripture, really, ultimately, probably was perceived to be out of himself at times to reach various people with the gospel. And if you look about Paul's life, let's turn to 2 Corinthians 12, and I think this is really worth examining from the perspective of being out of yourselves or beyond yourselves. Carolyn, do you have that? What verse? It's chapter 12, 1 through 6. 1 through 6. Could you read that, please?

It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ who 14 years ago, whether in the body I do not know or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows, such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man, whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know, God knows, how he was caught up into paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

Of such a one I will boast, yet of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities. For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me. Isn't that a great balance between what Paul would boast in and not boast in, in terms of being beside himself?

I mean, how many other examples of scripture do we have somebody in the apostolic age be lifted up in heavenly places and have this type of communication? That is clearly a good example of being beside yourself. I mean, Peter was viewed from an earthly perspective of being beside himself, but here's Paul really out in the seventh heaven someplace getting this type of input from the Lord. That's really being beside yourselves. So back to the question, is this something that applies to us today, being beside ourselves, or in fact, being sober.

First Thessalonians 1.5, for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we are among you for your sake. So the gospel early on was spread by multiple means. And it was sometimes men, women of the Lord, being beside themselves. I think today we're to be sober-minded. What does it mean to be sober-minded? It doesn't mean to avoid a glass of wine once a week, but the idea here to be sober-minded is what? Tom, what does it mean to be sober-minded?

Concentrating on what God has for you in His Word. It's an act of intelligence, and that doesn't mean if you don't have a lot of intelligence you can't be sober-minded to what God's given you, but it's the idea of understanding God's truth and being able to communicate that both in our walk and our talk and our lives.

I think the other thing is that Galatians 5 with the fruit of the Spirit, this sense of the Holy Spirit causing that to be a fruit of his working in us, that the sober mindedness is reflective of his involvement in our lives. The sober mindedness isn't one of the fruits of the Spirit, but self control and those kinds of things fit in alignment with that kind of pattern. But to remind us I think in context really is in contrast to being beyond ourselves. But the fruit of the spirit, do we focus on the fruit of the spirit by working to achieve or obtain the fruit of the spirit? No. I think the fruit of the spirit shows up as we walk by faith, right? The sober-mindedness is understanding that the fruit of the Spirit is a work of the Spirit in each of our lives and therefore we take a step back and walk by faith that that fruit is going to manifest itself.

It's kind of like gifts. Does everybody know what their gift is? I think if we focus on what our gift is, we're taking some credit for what that gift is. God's about doing a work in our lives. And to be sober minded is to put that into perspective in terms of the earthly existence we have day in and day out. Okay? I don't think there's much going on that's beyond ourselves today. I think when the rapture comes there's going to be a lot of beyond ourselves. What's happened to all these people I knew? They've been raptured and taken up. All right, I've combined verses 14 and 15 together for the end of today's text.

For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus, that if one died for all, then all died, and he died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for him who died for them and rose again. How's that for another account of the gospel, huh? Alright, let's dig into this section. For the love of Christ compels us. To compel is to constrain or press together. That's a beautiful verse. Just that idea of compelling or pressing us. What God has done on our behalf is as a compelling force. And that's why we're here today.

Aren't we here to be edified and lifted up by this compelling force by the love of God? to really soberly put this into perspective in terms of how we walk day in and day out. Unbelievable almost. I'm beyond myself as I think about God's love for us that he continues to manifest this truth in each and every one of us. How do you interpret and implement this love of Christ?

Well, I think that kind of speaks for ourselves. Again, it's an act of faith, and we walk by faith as we actually then even can turn to what follows. Because we judge thus, that if one died for all, then all died, and he died for all. I'm going to summarize that basic Christianity. Christianity 101 is contained in this verse.

And that's Romans 3.23, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Okay, good place to start. And you know, I think maybe I shared this in our Bible study, but maybe not with the class.

My late father-in-law came to the Lord as he was dying of cancer, but he was a Kierkegaardian theologist for many, many years. is the great leap of faith. There's no facts that really represent our relationship to God. It's just this leap of faith that has no foundation. He believed that and read endlessly in that theology. But within the last six months of his life, he came to the Lord.

This is Sharon, my late wife's father. So he always said, the reason I mentioned Jack Kress to you today, he said, and he was very conservative and had a view of the world that really was very Christian based, he just didn't understand what personal salvation was all about.

But he said, if you have a conversation with somebody and they believe that men are basically good, that we have a few bad habits and we fall short sometimes, then you have no conversation. Unless the spirit is there to really change the nature of that conversation. So you take a verse like this and you share this with someone who believes man is basically good to all who have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, you have no further conversation. Now I'm not saying you should force that down people's throats, but the idea that if somebody views that man is basically good, then they're missing the entire basic Christianity 101 theme, aren't they?

Next verse, Ephesians 2, 1, and you, he made alive who were dead in trespasses and sins. Not only have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, we were dead in trespasses and sins. And incapable of doing anything. Any human work can change that state.

And thirdly, 1 John 2.2, and he himself is a propitiation for all sins and not ours only, but for the sins of the entire world. Such an important truth. You know, the cross was sufficient for every human that's ever existed. But yet only some of us come to believe that truth and are part of the body. So basic Christianity is in this verse. Let's go back and look at it again.

That if one died for all, then all died. If one died for all, Christ the crucifixion, then all died. That means all of us die. We die in our sins. And he died for all, for those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for him who died for them and rose again. So we connected that truth by faith. and ultimately our lives are impacted by basic Christianity applied to the Lord Jesus Christ. That those who live should live no longer for themselves but for him who died for them and rose again.

Notice what Roger picked for today's verses 11 through 15. Have this theme continuing in terms of living for ourselves or living to God's glory. So, notice the title, Christ's Life and Ministry is Revealing Christ, the New Creation, Part 1. We've got lots to follow here. But anyway, this theme continues that we don't live to ourselves to bring glory or boasting to ourselves, but for Him.

It's better translated actually not living for themselves, but actually living under themselves. And this is important as we finish these verses here. Because I don't know how, and by the way, present active subjunctive, that's possible, but uncertain. So this idea of living under themselves is possibly going to occur, it's subjunctive tense, but it may not. We're not certain it doesn't have to occur, but may in fact occur. But the alternative is living for him, better translated, unto him.

Now, I don't know about you, I did a preposition search in the Bible once. I'm interested in others in the class who may have done this. If you look at for Christ, or for him, there's like five examples throughout the entire New Testament that are for him or for Christ.

But in him, or unto him, occurs like a hundred and fifty times. Those numbers are not perfectly accurate. I haven't gone back and checked those numbers, but they're close. There's like a log fold more. I mean, you know, we're talking about, you know, maybe fifty to a hundred times more times where it's into, unto, or in.

If you will, this is the exchange life. Unto him is him being the control of our life. So, one of my favorites, for me to live as Christ dies, I am crucified under Christ, yet not I, but he who lives with me. I mean, we know all the exchange life verses, but this really is a perfect additional example of what this life is and looks like. Notice importantly that his resurrection is included here.

I mean, the cross is mentioned many times in scripture without you know, getting us to the next step. We know what happened to the cross, but if Christ is not crucified, our faith is entirely in vain. It's worthless. Think about that. The cross is powerful for each and every one of us individually, and it's powerful for the body, and it's powerful eternally for all men of all times. But if in fact Christ was not risen from the grave, there's no message.

The cross is a false doctrine that we should dismiss and most people would criticize the Bible would claim that he was never resurrected from the grave. They can relate to the history maybe that there was a man named Jesus a great teacher who was crucified on a cross but they are unwilling to accept the resurrection.

It's amazing how many people pick and choose which miracles they want to believe, too. Particularly true of our Jewish friends, isn't it? They like some, but not all. The holidays they like well, but the idea of the Red Sea actually being part of it well, probably happened in a different way. All right, so importantly, the resurrection's included here. And let's end with Romans 14, seven through nine. I think this is a good kind of benediction, if you will.

For none of us lives to himself. And no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord. And if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. And for this end, Christ died and rose and lived again, that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living."

How's that for a good benediction or postlude here to this section of Scripture? I'm going to stop there and see if anybody has any additional thoughts. Second Corinthians is a great, great book. Yeah, Tom. I think we'll close on this little tune I remember from Helmets. Okay, Tom's got to sing a tune now.

I'm going to get closer so we can get this God's gift is love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control. God's gift is love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control. The tempo picked up as it went on. I could tell he was waiting for the sound to go off up here to turn it off.

All right, everybody, good. We'll let it be and let the Spirit lead. Roger, could you close us, please? Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for our time today, Lord. We thank you for the blessings we have, Lord. Thank you for the marvelous truths that we have been studying in 2 Corinthians. In Christ's name, Amen.