Sermon
#1299
Title: PERSUASIONS
Text: II Corinthians 5:1 - 6:2
Reading: Psalm 96:1-13
Subject: A Sevenfold Appeal to Sinners
Date: Sunday Morning - October 19, 1997
Tape # U-15
Introduction:
It is my great privilege and awesome
responsibility to speak once more to you, eternity bound sinners with immortal
souls, in the names of God almighty, as God’s ambassador! I am here today to
feed, comfort, reprove, edify, and encourage you who know the Lord. And I am
here to persuade you who are yet enemies to God to be reconciled to him, before
he crushes your soul down to hell in his fierce anger.
The title of my message this morning is PERSUASIONS. I want, by the grace and power of God the Holy Spirit,
to persuade you who are yet God’s enemies to be reconciled to God. I Want to
persuade you to quit fighting against God, to cease from your warfare with the
Almighty, to raise the white flag of surrender to King Jesus.
My task is too great for me. I pray that God the Holy Spirit
will speak by me to your hearts for the glory of Christ and your souls’
everlasting good. If you care for your souls, give me your attention for a few
minutes this morning. I want you to open your Bibles to II Corinthians 5. Just
hold them open on your laps and follow along as I show you the message
contained in this passage of Holy Scripture.
You will find the burden of my message
and the burden of my soul for you in verses
11 and 20. “Knowing therefore the
terror of the Lord, we persuade men.” I know that only God himself can
persuade you to be reconciled to him. Only God an give dead sinners life. Only
God the Holy Spirit can give you life and faith in Christ. I am fully aware of
your inability and my own. Yet, it is my business to persuade and pressure you,
by the preaching of the gospel, to come to Christ; and it is your
responsibility to come.
Now,
look at verse 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.” I stand before you as God’s
ambassador. I cannot and will not alter the message he has given me to deliver
to you. Yet, I am not just a messenger. A mere messenger has no regard for the
message he carries, the one who sends him, or the one to whom he is sent. God’s
servants are not like that! I cannot think of anything more important to me
than these three things:
1.
The One Who has Sent Me (Jer. 1:4-10).
Jeremiah 1:4-10 "Then the word
of the LORD came unto me, saying, (5) Before
I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the
womb I sanctified thee, and I
ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
(6) Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. (7) But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and
whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
(8) Be not afraid of their faces: for I am
with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. (9) Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And
the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. (10) See, I have this day set thee over
the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to
destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant."
2.
The Message He has Given Me (I Cor. 1:17).
1 Corinthians 1:17 "For Christ
sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words,
lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect."
3.
The Immortal Souls to Whom I am Sent (Rom. 10:1-4).
Romans 10:1-4 "Brethren, my
heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. (2) For I bear them record that they
have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. (3) For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going
about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto
the righteousness of God. (4) For
Christ is the end of the law for
righteousness to every one that believeth."
Proposition: I am this day
calling for you to cease from your rebellion, to come to God by faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ, surrendering to his rule and dominion as your Lord and your
God.
That is the issue. You must be
reconciled to God. To believe on Christ is to bow to Christ. To be saved is to
surrender to the claims of God upon your life, trusting Christ alone for acceptance
with him.
Divisions: The basis of my appeal is sevenfold.
1.
The
Immortality of Your Soul (vv. 1-9)
2.
The Certainty
and Strictness of Divine Judgment (vv. 10-11)
3.
The Love of
God in Christ (vv. 11-16)
4.
The
Blessedness of God’s Salvation (v. 17)
5.
The Finished
Work of Christ (vv. 18-19)
6.
The Message of
Grace Revealed in the Gospel (vv. 20-21)
7.
The Urgency of
Faith (6:1-2)
I. THE
IMMORTALITY OF YOUR SOUL
You and I are not animals. We did not
evolve from some a worm, a germ, or an ape. We are creatures made in the image
and likeness of God. We live in these bodies; but we are living, immortal,
undying souls.
·
Genesis 2:7
·
Mark 8:36-37
Genesis 2:7 "And the
LORD God formed man of the dust of
the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a
living soul."
Mark 8:36-38 "For
what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own
soul? (37) Or what shall a man give
in exchange for his soul? (38) Whosoever
therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful
generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the
glory of his Father with the holy angels."
You are going
to spend eternity somewhere, either in everlasting life in heaven or in
everlasting death in hell. Everything
in this world is temporal. Our existence here is more brief than words
can describe. Everything here is vanishing. It is all passing
away. Try as you may, you cannot hold anything or anyone here for very long.
But we are rapidly moving to a world where all things are eternal.
·
II Corinthians
4:18
2 Corinthians 4:18 "While we look
not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the
things which are seen are temporal;
but the things which are not seen are eternal."
With those things in mind, I want us
to read verses 1-9. In these 9 verses the apostle Paul, writing by divine
inspiration, shows us a believer’s attitude toward life and death. He also
issues a warning to all who are yet without Christ.
2
Corinthians 5:1-9 "For
we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a
building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in
this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is
from heaven: 3 If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. 4 For
we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would
be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. 5
Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given
unto us the earnest of the Spirit. 6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing
that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: 7 (For we
walk by faith, not by sight:) 8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to
be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. 9 Wherefore we
labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him."
There
are many, many things taught in these verses that need to be understood; but
let me simply show you three things
that are true of all believers.
A.
We live in the expectant hope of immortality (vv. 1-4; Phil. 1:21-23; II Tim. 1:12).
2 Corinthians 5:1-4 "For we
know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle
were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands,
eternal in the heavens. (2) For in
this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is
from heaven: (3) If so be that being
clothed we shall not be found naked. (4) For
we that are in this tabernacle do
groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon,
that mortality might be swallowed up of life."
Philippians 1:21-23 "For to
me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (22) But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. (23) For I am in a strait betwixt two,
having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:"
2 Timothy 1:12 "For the
which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I
know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which
I have committed unto him against that day."
B. Our faith in Christ gives us confidence and assurance of
these things (vv. 5-8).
2 Corinthians 5:5-8 "Now he
that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is
God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. (6) Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the
body, we are absent from the Lord: (7) (For
we walk by faith, not by sight:) (8) We
are confident, I say, and willing
rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."
C. Yet,
our faith and confidence does not cause presumption (v.9; Phil. 3:8-14).
2 Corinthians 5:9 "Wherefore
we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him."
Philippians 3:8-14 "Yea
doubtless, and I count all things but loss
for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have
suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
(9) And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the
law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is
of God by faith: (10) That I may know
him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings,
being made conformable unto his death;
(11) If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. (12) Not as though I had already
attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend
that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. (13) Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth
unto those things which are before, (14) I
press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ
Jesus."
We recognize that there are multitudes who, as soon as they
die, must forever perish under the wrath of God; and many of those who do
perish in hell vainly presume that they are perfectly accepted with God. Do not
be so foolish. If you die without Christ, you will die forever. That is to say,
you will be cast into hell to suffer the second death. The wrath of God shall
be your everlasting portion.
I appeal to you, as an eternity bound
sinner with an immortal soul, to be reconciled to God. Secondly, I make my appeal to you upon...
II. THE
CERTAINTY AND STRICTNESS OF DIVINE JUDGMENT
I remind you once more that there is a
day of judgment. I know that there is a final, climatic day of judgment
appointed by God; but do not imagine that until then your sins will go
unpunished. It is not so. Immediately after death, you and I will meet Christ
himself in judgment. Read verses 10-11.
2 Corinthians 5:10-11 "For we must all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his
body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 11 Knowing
therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men."
Nahum 1:2-6 "God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth;
the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his
adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies. 3 The LORD is slow to
anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath
his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his
feet. 4 He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers:
Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth. 5 The
mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his
presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein. 6 Who can stand before
his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is
poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him."
Revelation 20:11-12 "And I saw a
great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the
heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. (12) And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and
the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were
judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their
works."
“Ye sinners, seek His grace,
Whose wrath ye cannot bear;
Fly to the shelter of His cross,
An find salvation there.
So shall the curse remove,
By which the Savior bled;
And the last awful day shall pour
His blessings on your head.”
...Philip Doddridge
As you care for your soul, I urge you to flee from the wrath
of God. O my friend, flee away to Christ and be saved!
Illustration:
The Cities of Refuge
Yet,
I know that the wrath of God will never persuade you to trust his Son. The
terror of judgment to come may terrify you; but it will never break your heart
and bring you to Christ. It is the goodness of God that leads sinners to
repentance. So thirdly, I appeal to
you upon the basis of...
III. THE
LOVE OF GOD IN CHRIST
2 Corinthians 5:11-16 "But we are made manifest unto God; and
I trust also are made manifest in your consciences. 12 For we commend not
ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye
may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart.
13 For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it
is for your cause. 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."
A. I claim your attention and hearing, not because of anything
in me but by the gospel I preach. My only commendation of myself to you is the
message I preach. You know that I tell you the truth (v. 12).
B. My motive, I believe is obvious. I have no concern in this
thing except God’s glory and your eternal good (v. 13).
C. The basis of my appeal to you, the foundation of my message,
the strength of the call I now issue to you is the love of God revealed in the
crucified Savior (vv. 14-16).
In these verses the apostle is telling
us that the love of God is revealed
in...
1.
The Sacrifice of His Son (v. 14).
2 Corinthians 5:14 "For the love
of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all,
then were all dead:"
If Christ died for me as my
Substitute, then I died in him. Indeed, all for whom he died are forever dead
to the law, because he paid our debt in full! “Herein is love!” It is this love f God revealed in the crucified
Christ which constrains us, graciously, effectually, irresistibly constrains
us…
·
To Trust Him.
·
To Serve Him.
·
To Obey Him.
·
To Honor Him.
·
To Love One
Another.
2.
The Substitutionary Nature of His Sacrifice (v. 14).
The Son of God died in the place of
guilty, hell deserving sinners, that sinners who deserve God’s wrath might be
forgiven of all sin and forever accepted of God in him as perfectly righteous
and holy!
3.
The Sanctifying Efficacy of His Sacrifice (v. 15).
2 Corinthians 5:15 "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."
4.
The Saving Revelation of His Grace (v. 16).
2 Corinthians 5:16 "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."
Do you see how the Holy Spirit reasons
with and persuades us by Paul’s words to be reconciled to our God? He appeals
to us upon the basis of...
·
The
Immortality of Our Souls
·
The Certainty
and Strictness of Divine Judgment.
·
The Love of
God in Christ.
Now,
look at verse seventeen. Here, the Holy Spirit appeals to sinners, and I appeal
to you who now hear my voice, to be reconciled to God upon the fact of…
IV. THE
BLESSEDNESS OF GOD’S SALVATION.
2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if
any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are
passed away; behold, all things are become new."
I cannot imagine language more
beautifully and powerfully calculated to persuade sinners to be reconciled to
God than this. Here the offended King, the God against whom we have sinned
declares that all who are found in his dear Son are granted ttal, complete,
everlasting amnesty by his grace, forgiven of all sin by his blood, and made
holy, righteousness, unreproveable, and unblamable in his sight! Look at the
words of this blessed text. God help you to hear each one.
A. “Therefore”
- Since Christ died in the place of his people.
B. “If any man be in Christ”
·
By Divine
Election.
·
By the
Spirit’s Effectual Call.
·
By Faith.
C. “He is a new creature”
Theologians use the word
“regeneration” to describe the new birth; but the Bible never does. The Bible
uses the words “quickened,” “born again,” and born of the Spirit.” We are not regenerated when God saves us. The old
man is not made alive again. Rather, we are born again, born of the Spirit,
given an entirely new life in Christ, made partakers of the divine nature!
D. “Old things are passed away”
If you are in Christ, if this moment
you trust the Lord Jesus Christ, God has wiped the slate clean, blotted out all
your sins, forgiven all your transgressions, and pardoned all your iniquities.
So thorough and complete is his forgiveness that he will never impute any sin
to you for any reason!
Psalms 32:1-5 "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered. (2) Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth
not iniquity, and in whose spirit there
is no guile. (3) When I kept
silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. (4) For day and night thy hand was
heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah. (5) I acknowledged my sin unto thee,
and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto
the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah."
Romans 4:8 "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not
impute sin."
E. “Behold, all things are become new!”
·
A New Nature -
Sanctification!
·
A New Record -
Justification!
·
A New Covenant
- Grace!
·
A New Name -
Sons of God!
I am calling for you to be reconciled to God. I am, for your
souls’ eternal good, trying to persuade you to come to Christ. The basis of my
appeal is…
1.
The
Immortality of Your Soul.
2.
The Certainty
and Strictness of Divine Judgment.
3.
The Love f God
in Christ.
4.
The
Blessedness of God’s Salvation - and in verses 18-19…
V. THE
FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST
2 Corinthians 5:18-19 "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."
Here the Holy Spirit shows us five things about the grace of God.
A. “Salvation is of the Lord!”
Here is the source, cause, and origin of all salvation and
grace -“And all things are of God!” Salvation
is God’s work, from start to finish. A preacher once told my wife, “God is
sovereign over everything except salvation.” He was dead wrong. God is
sovereign over everything, especially salvation!
·
He Planned It.
·
He Purchased
It.
·
He Performs
It.
·
He Preserves
It.
·
He will have
the Praise of It!
That same preacher said to Shelby,
“God is in control of everything except man’s will.” Oh, no. If God leaves you
to your imaginary “free will,” you will go out of here just like you came in,
lost, dead, doomed, without Christ, without God, without hope. But, thank God,
salvation does not depend on your will or mine! Salvation is accomplished by
God’s will!
·
Romans 9:16
·
Psalm 110:3
READ THE TEXT AGAIN. "And all things
are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given
to us the ministry of reconciliation; 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."
B. God
was in Christ!
Colossians 2:9-10 "For in
him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. (10) And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all
principality and power:"
C. God
was in Christ reconciling the world of his elect to himself.
NOTE: Do not allow heretics to confuse you by throwing that word
“world” in your face. Obviously, God did not reconcile everyone in the world to
himself, for all are not reconciled to him. He reconciled his elect, scattered
throughout all the world, to himself. That means that…
D. The
work of reconciliation, in so far as the law and justice of God is concerned,
was finished at Calvary (Rom.
5:8-10).
Romans 5:8-10 "But God
commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. (9) Much more then, being now
justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. (10) For if, when we were enemies, we
were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we
shall be saved by his life."
E. The great and glorious fact revealed in this glorious
redemption accomplished by Christ is just this - GOD WILL NOT IMPUTE SIN TO HIS CHOSEN!
Now, he has committed and trusted to us the word, the
ministry, of reconciliation. Let me tell you what that means. The Lord God has
sent us to tell sinners the good news of reconciliation accomplished by Jesus
Christ. He has sent me to call you to be reconciled to him. Will you hear me
now? If this day you bow to Christ, if you will right now raise the white flag
of surrender in your heart to the Son of God, you have been reconciled to God
by the death of his dear Son.
Now, I want you to see…
VI. THE
MESSAGE OF GRACE REVEALED IN THE GOSPEL
(vv. 20-21).
There is no passage in the Bible more glorious than this.
There are no words to be found in human literature to compare with these. Read
these last two verses and weep over the sins that demanded such a sacrifice.
Read these verses and rejoice and give thanks to God for the grace that
provides such a sacrifice! May God the Holy Spirit now use them to persuade
you, as only he can, to be reconciled to God.
A. Here
is the call of grace. - "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."
Perhaps you are more thoughtful than
most. Maybe you are thinking, “If God is holy and just, if he must punish sin,
how can he be gracious to a sinner like me?” Read verse 21.
B. Here
is the basis of grace. - "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."
1.
Who was made
to be sin?
2.
Who made the
Son of God to be sin?
3.
For whom was
the Lord of glory made to be sin?
4.
How was he
made to be sin for us?
5.
Why was he
made to be sin?
6.
What did God
do with his dear Son when he was made to be sin for us?
7.
What is the
result of Christ being made to be sin for us?
The Spirit of God has given me these
powerful persuasive appeals and arguments, by which he sends me to persuade you
to be reconciled to God by faith in Christ…
1.
The
Immortality of Your Soul (vv. 1-9)
2.
The Certainty
and Strictness of Divine Judgment (vv. 10-11)
3.
The Love of
God in Christ (vv. 11-16)
4.
The
Blessedness of God’s Salvation (v. 17)
5.
The Finished
Work of Christ (vv. 18-19)
6.
The Message of
Grace Revealed in the Gospel (vv. 20-21).
But
before I send you home, I must also press upon you this last appeal. Maybe this
is the thing God will use to lay hold of your heart, if he has not already done
so. In chapter 6, verses 1 and 2 we see…
VII. THE
URGENCY OF FAITH.
2 Corinthians 6:1-2 "We then, as workers together with him,
beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. 2 (For he saith,
I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I
succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of
salvation.)"