2 Corinthians 5:9

Wherefore we labor, that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in his body according to what he has done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. But we are made manifest unto God, and I trust also are made manifest unto your conscience.

For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that you may have somewhat to answer them, which glory in appearance and not in heart. For whether we be beside ourselves, it is of God; or whether we be sober, it is for your cause. For the love of Christ constrains us, because we thus judge that if one died for all, then we're all dead.

Father, as we look into Your Word, we pray for wisdom. We pray, God, that You by Your Spirit would direct us and give us understanding, guiding us into all truth, Lord. We want to know You more fully, Lord, the God who is holy, holy, holy. God who is high above the heavens, enthroned in glory at this very moment, Lord. And yet, at the same time, You inhabit the praises of Your people, and so You are here.

We thank You, Lord, for Your presence today. We pray that we would know the fullness of joy that is found in Your presence. Lord, looking forward to what has been promised us in You in eternity, but enjoying now Your grace. Lord, fill us so fully with Your Spirit today and with Your Word that when we go from here, we will be able to extend Your glory to those we come in contact with.

Lord, bless this time in Your Word, we pray.

We ask in Jesus' name, and all God's people agreed, saying, Amen. You can be seated.

Last week, we considered, here in 2 Corinthians 5, the confidence that we can have in Christ for eternity. The absolute certainty that we can know because of what Christ has done on our behalf. Look there at verse 6 of chapter 5: "Therefore, we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight." We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

So we have this great certainty in God, this absolute certainty that when we leave this body, this is not all we are. This is just the external makeup of who we are internally—our soul, our spirit. That's who we really are. This body is just a tent, a temporary dwelling place. If you've ever gone camping and been in a tent, you know you don't want to live there for a very long time. Amen?

This body, this tent, is not where we want to live for eternity. We are looking forward to, and even willing, as Paul says here in verse 8, to be absent from the body. We are actually desirous of that day when God calls us home, to where we come into His presence, where in His presence is fullness of joy and at His right hand are pleasures forevermore. To be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord.

There is no other faith in the world, no other worldview, no other religion that offers that kind of certainty—the absolute certainty that to be gone from this body is to be instantly with Christ in eternity. Only the faith of Christ offers that kind of confidence, certain confidence.

In Christ, we are given the ability to stand rejoicing in the hope of God, rejoicing in the hope of what God has done in us, for us, and will do through us. In Romans chapter 5, verses 1 and 2, Paul says,

Therefore, being justified by faith means that God has dealt with our sin just as if we had never sinned. He has dealt with the punishment and the power of sin. So, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. At one point, we were enemies of God, set at enmity against Him because of our sin and our rebellion against Him. Now, in Christ, we have been given peace with God through the work that Jesus has done.

In verse 2, Paul says in Romans 5, "By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." The Christian is in a position of rejoicing, praising God, and looking forward to the revelation of His glory. This is an awesome thing to consider because the Bible describes that when God's glory is revealed, no flesh will be able to stand in His presence. We Christians are looking forward to that day when the glory of God is revealed from heaven.

For those who do not know Christ and are not in Christ, who have not received Christ by grace through faith, the revelation of the glory of God brings the wrath of God. This is a sobering reality. But for the Christian, we stand rejoicing in hope of the glory of God and the revelation of His glory. We look forward to the day when He will be with us, and we will be with Him in His presence.

The hope of the Christian is not blind, wishful thinking that bets aimlessly on the fading possibility that we might be able to be good enough. It is not banking on our good works in any way. There is a constant recognition in Christ that our good works are not sufficient. Isaiah 64, verse 6 states, "All of our righteousness is as filthy rags before Him." Every good work that we could do, seeking to gain an upper hand with God, is insufficient. It is not enough because the perfection that God requires is so huge and so great that there is no way we could ever reach it.

We just sing, "Holy, holy, holy." When Isaiah saw God lifted up in Isaiah chapter 6, he heard angels in the presence of God—these awesome beings that he did not even know what they were or what their names were. He simply called them seraphim, which means "burning ones." He looked at them and described them as burning ones about the throne of God.

They cry continually, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God. Holy, holy, holy." In the Hebrew language, words are repeated for emphasis, revealing the greatness of His holiness. That is our God, and we are called to come before Him. The only way we can come before Him and actually rejoice in that appearance is because of what Jesus has done for us. Apart from what Christ has done for us, the idea that someday we will appear before a holy God is a fearful thing, or should be.

There are some people who mock God in that, but they will not mock forever. There is coming a day when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Christ to the glory of God the Father. That day will come. So, we who are in Christ look forward to that day. We are not just banking on the possibility that maybe we might do something good enough, because we could never do anything good enough. The hope of the Christian is an absolute certainty of coming future glory because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross. It has nothing to do with anything that I could do, have done, or will ever do. It is completely trusting in what He has done for me.

You are in 2 Corinthians 5. Turn to the right, just a couple of books to the book of Ephesians. Ephesians chapter 2 is a passage that, if you've been a part of our church for any length of time, you know very well. Ephesians chapter 2, verse 8: there the Apostle Paul writes, "For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." It's a gift of God's grace, not of works, lest anyone should boast. There is no boasting in what we have in Christ because it was something that He did on our behalf and not anything that we have accomplished.

But then, in verse 10, Paul writes, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works." Lean over and underline those words in your neighbor's Bible: "for good works," which God has before ordained that we should walk in them. So, we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.

We are saved by grace through faith, not of good works, but for good works that God has already prepared for us, that we should walk in them. Because of our salvation and the confidence that we have in it, due to the work that Christ has done on our behalf, we labor. As stated in 2 Corinthians 5:9, "Therefore we labor." Because of that confidence, that's why we work.

Every other worldview and every other religion works to try and gain confidence, to try and achieve some upper hand. When you ask them, "If you died tonight, would you go to heaven?" they often respond, "I really hope so." It's kind of wishful thinking, an aimless bet on what? What do they hope in? They might say, "Well, I'm a pretty good person." However, that's not going to work. That's not sufficient because all of our righteousness is as filthy rags before God, who is holy, holy, holy—totally separate from us.

We have a major problem. There is no way we can cross that gulf because of our sin. Christ came to deal with it. That's the gospel in a nutshell: there is no possible way that we could ever do anything to attain righteousness. Even our good works are as filthy rags before Him. But God, who is rich in mercy because of His great love, as stated in Ephesians 2:4, loved us even when we were dead in trespasses and sins. He reaches down to us, saves us, and pulls us out of the miry pit. How many of you were in a miry pit? He sets our feet upon the rock.

As a result of that, we serve Him—not to try and get anything from Him, because He has given us everything already. We serve Him out of gratitude, out of love, and out of devotion to Him for what He has done for us.

Now, it's interesting because back in 2 Corinthians 5:9, reading it in the King James Version, which is the version that I teach from, it says, "Wherefore we labor, that whether present or absent," meaning to be present in this body or absent from Him, whether we are with Him or here on earth, "that we may be accepted of Him." This presents a problem. So we work, whether we are with Him in eternity or not.

We labor so that we would be accepted of Him. Now, reading it like that in the King James Version, you might say, "Well, that seems to negate everything that you just said." I will have no problem admitting that that translation of that word in the King James Version is maybe not the best translation. If you look at this in several other translations, the word that is translated as "accepted" in the King James Version is translated as "well-pleasing" in many other versions. It's a perfectly good way to define that Greek word.

In the English Standard Version, it states, "Whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him." That's our goal; we want to please Him. The New Living Translation says, "Whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please Him." The New King James Version puts it this way: "Therefore, we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well-pleasing to Him."

We are not working to try and be accepted, although there are many Christians in churches all over our nation and the world who think that they do good work. They serve in children's ministry, they tithe, they go on mission trips, and they go to Tecate. Whatever they do, they do it because they think, "I need to do this to be accepted of Him." But that would contradict so many other passages of Scripture. It cannot be that we are working to be accepted of Him, although there are other cults that read it this way.

You need to look at what the context really says. The context is that we have total confidence that we are going to be with Him in eternity. When we are absent from this body, we will be with Him. This is what the whole context of 2 Corinthians 5 has been saying: our confidence is built upon what He has done for us, and we have absolute certainty that we are going to be with Him when we step out of this body and into eternity.

Then He says, "Well, then we labor so that we might be accepted." That doesn't fit, does it? The better reading of it, based on the context, is that we labor, we serve, and we do whatever we do so that we might honor Him, that we might be well-pleasing to Him, and that He would have pleasure in us, His people, whom He has redeemed.

Imagine today you go home after church, and as you pull up in your driveway, there is a person standing in your yard in a suit, holding a briefcase. You think, "This just doesn't look good." As you get out of your car, they explain that they are a lawyer, and again, you're thinking, "Well, I'm not excited about this." They say, "Listen, you have a distant relative that you've never met before."

He tracked you down and wants to give you one billion dollars. That's not a lot to the government, but it would be a lot to most of us, right? Now, if after you woke up from smelling salts at your nose, you determined that, yes, it actually is true and they want to fly you in a private jet to New York to meet with this distant relative who wants to give you a gift, do you think that after receiving that gift, you wouldn't in some way desire to be well-pleasing to that family member? Or do you think you'd be rude, obnoxious, and mocking to that individual? They are certainly not trying to buy your favor because it's just a gift, but you would still be favorable towards that individual, wouldn't you? Logic does seem to imply that, unless you're a complete jerk.

So here God has done something monumentally greater than that, dealing with all of our failings and our sin, saving us not for any other reason than that He loves us. That's what the Scriptures say. We have received that gift. You could reject it, and there are many people who do reject it, but as you've received that gift and as you begin to comprehend the realities of that gift, sometimes it takes a while to really see what it means—the redemption that we have in Christ.

That's why we spend time reading God's Word and getting to know God through His Word, because it reveals His character and our character, which are so vastly separate. We start to see just how awesome His free gift is. The more we see how beautiful the gift is that God has given to us, set against the black backdrop of our wicked hearts, it stirs us to labor and to serve. Therefore, we labor because we want to be well-pleasing to Him. We want to honor Him. We want to bring Him good pleasure.

Now, this word that's translated in the King James Version as "accepted" and translated into several other versions as "well-pleasing" is also used in the book of Hebrews. I want you to turn to the last chapter of the book of Hebrews. It's to the right of 2 Corinthians, Hebrews chapter 13. Look at what the author of the book of Hebrews writes here.

In Hebrews 13:20, the verse is fittingly correlated with what we see in 2 Corinthians 5. It states, "Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect or complete in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ, to be glory forever and ever. Amen."

The author of the book of Hebrews, in one of his endings, presents a powerful message. He refers to the God of all peace, the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead, the one who has the power to raise the dead. This God, the great shepherd, is introduced to us in John 10. Through the blood of the everlasting covenant, He makes us complete. This is the work of God that He does in us, His church. It is a sanctifying work whereby He takes the raw material, mined out of the depths of grossness here upon the earth, and begins to refine us.

God makes us perfect and complete in every good work so that we can do His will, working in us that which is well-pleasing. It is God who works in us to make us well-pleasing. In 2 Corinthians 5:9, Paul states that we are laboring so that we can be well-pleasing. We have a responsibility; we are working out our own salvation with fear and trembling. We are serving the Lord so that He would be pleased with the purchase that He made—us. At the same time, while we are working, He is working in us to make us well-pleasing.

To Him. So, what we have here is that you can't fail. We're working, and He is working in us. We need to seek for Him to work in us and allow Him to work in and through us. He is the one who works in us that which is well-pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Therefore, we labor that we may be well-pleasing, knowing that He is working in us to make us well-pleasing to Him.

Now, turn back to the left of Hebrews to Philippians 2. Philippians 2 is right after the book of Ephesians: Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians. I learned that when I was in fifth grade right here at this church. Philippians 2, verse 12 states, "Wherefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling."

Here is man's responsibility. There is a big discussion in the evangelical church in America today about man's responsibility and God's sovereignty. This discussion is often posed with the terms Calvinism and Arminianism. How many of you have heard those terms? Great books just came out—two books that are working together. One is called Against Calvinism, and the other is For Calvinism. The author of the book For Calvinism lives right here in town. Michael Horton, he is the head of Westminster Seminary. These are good books.

But there is this discussion: God's sovereignty and man's responsibility. Here at Cross Connection, we believe that both are joined together in God. If there is in any way a paradox in that, we recognize that there are certain paradoxes in God. There are certain things that our finite minds don't understand about the infinite God, and I have no problem with that. It makes Him God; He is bigger than me.

Throughout the Scriptures, man's responsibility and God's sovereignty are seen. Sometimes they are seen separately. The Arminian camp will say, "Well, see, here are all the man's responsibility verses," which they believe proves it's man's responsibility. Then you have those who are Calvinists, who say, "Here are God's sovereignty verses." They are all right there, and they assert that God is sovereign. We believe that God is sovereign, and we also believe that man has a responsibility.

God has sovereignly given us many passages in the Bible where two important concepts are joined together in one breath. One of these passages is found in Philippians 2, verses 12 and 13: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, you Arminians. Do it. Get her done." However, don't forget to keep reading. Verse 13 states, "It is God who works in you, both to will and to do his good pleasure." It is God who works in you to give you the desire and the ability to do that which is pleasing to Him.

I am very thankful for that because I know how easily I fail. Yet, I can rely on the grace and glory of God, who works in me to will and to do that which is pleasing to Him. So, is it your goal, as it was Paul's, as revealed here in 2 Corinthians 5, verse 9? Is it your goal to be pleasing to Him? "Wherefore we labor. Why? That, whether we are present or absent, we may be pleasing to Him." That was Paul's goal: to please God.

This desire to please God is a work that God generates in the heart of the regenerated individual, the saved individual. It is a new desire that you did not have before you became a Christian. God places in you a desire to be well-pleasing to Him. Five seconds before you received the Spirit of God, you had no desire to be well-pleasing to God. But God's Word began to ignite in you a new faith. When you placed your trust in Christ, you were transformed. Your confidence in Him brought about a new desire to be pleasing to Him.

You wake up the next morning and realize that some of the things you used to want to do no longer appeal to you. Some of the words you used to say are no longer part of your vocabulary. This change occurs because there is a new desire that God has given you. You feel that you don't want to offend God; you want to be well-pleasing to the God who has paid your debt.

There is a work that God begins to do by His grace in our hearts, transforming us so that we no longer want to engage in the things we used to desire. Those things are offensive to God. As we learn more and more through His Word about what is offensive to Him, we say, "I don't want to offend Him. Look at what He has done for me." Therefore, I want to be pleasing to Him.

I am not doing these things to earn His favor; He has already given me His favor by His grace—unearned, unmerited favor. But I still want to do those things that are honoring to Him.

Because of what He's done for me, is it your goal to be well-pleasing to God? It certainly was the goal of Paul, and I believe it is the goal of every person in whom the Spirit of God has worked salvation. If you have no desire to be pleasing to God today, it may be an indication that you're not saved. Now, it could just be an indication that you are hard-hearted at this moment and have unconfessed sin, but it may be an indication. It's definitely an indication that something's not right.

If you have no desire to be pleasing to God, you may say, "Well, I do have a desire to be pleasing to God, but I keep failing and I'm constantly unable to do that." Well, there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, as Romans 8:1 says. So, there's no condemnation for us, and God works in us to will and to do those things that are pleasing to Him. If you don't have that desire today to be pleasing to Him, even if you find you keep failing, call out to God in prayer and say, "God, would You give me that desire?" I guarantee you, He will.

When you have that desire, be looking for an open door to fulfill it and do that which is pleasing to Him. I guarantee you, as you see throughout the Scriptures, when you do that which is pleasing to God, you will experience the greatest measure of joy. In His presence is fullness of joy. So, God, give us a desire to be pleasing to You. Stir in us a desire, a passion to do those things that bring a smile to Your face. I don't know about you, but that image to me is a wonderful image—the thought that what I do today can bring a smile to the face of God, that He would find pleasure in what I am doing.

Then the sobering reminder comes. Look at verse 10 of 2 Corinthians 5. The sobering reminder is that we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in his body.

According to what he has done, whether good or bad, there is coming a day when each and every one of us, all of humanity that has ever lived or will ever live, will stand before the bima. It's the Greek word that is translated as the judgment seat. We are going to stand before the bima seat of Christ. Now, if that doesn't kindle a certain sobriety in you, I don't know what will. The reality is that someday I am going to appear before God's judgment seat.

We are told here that everyone may receive the things done in his body according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Verses like this cause great fear and consternation in some, and I can understand that. They question and say things like, "Why must I appear before the judgment seat of Christ? I thought that God saved me by grace through faith, no more judgment. I don't want to stand before the judgment seat of Christ."

Well, the answer is given there. Why? So that everyone may receive the things done in his body, whether good or bad. What you're saying is that I am going to stand before God and give an answer one day for every good or bad thing that I've done. Yes, that's what the Bible says.

Now, how many of you recognize that this kindles some measure of concern? A little bit? You respond, "Well, I thought I was saved by grace through faith." Yes, the Bible says that. You might think that it isn't about your good or bad works. Your good works are God working in you, and your bad works have been forgiven by His grace. Now you're saying that I'm going to stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

That's not what I'm saying; that's what Paul says. That's what the Bible, as inspired of God, says. We will all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Every one of us will come before that place. Again, is anybody a little concerned about that? Some will say, "Well, that doesn't sound like grace then. It sounds like I have to make sure I'm doing good works and not doing bad works because I'm going to appear."

Before the judgment seat of Christ, it does sound like what the King James Version translates verse 9 as, that I would be accepted of Him. I am laboring so that I will be accepted on that day when I stand before His judgment seat. This is the way that Mormons translate this passage. Mormons use a Bible that is, in some ways, changed, and they interpret things differently than we do. Jehovah's Witnesses as well use a Bible that has been changed. They have verses like this and they point to these verses when they come.

I am from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I became an elder at age 17, and I would love to talk with you. They come to your door wanting to discuss these topics, and they will bring up verses like this, saying, "See, we're all going to stand before Him." So, it is works righteousness, right? How do we reconcile this with other passages of the Bible? There cannot be a contradiction.

There are other passages, such as Ephesians 2:8-10, which states, "For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." We also have Philippians 2:13, which says, "For it is God who works in you to will and to do His good pleasure." In Hebrews 13, it discusses how it is again God who is producing this in us, along with many other passages.

So, how do we reconcile that every one of us will stand before the judgment seat of Christ on that day? The revelation of His righteous glory will be revealed before all humanity. Just like in those great math books of old, the answers are in the back of the book. Turn to Revelation 20. We are given the answer to this enigma, and we will find that it is not an enigma but very important doctrine.

Revelation 20:11 states, "And I saw." Remember, the book of Revelation is the revelation of Jesus Christ. Jesus is revealing Himself and what He is going to do to one of His apostles, John the Apostle, who wrote the Gospel of John and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John. He was exiled to an island, a prisoner camp, if you will, because of his profession of Christ. While he was there, God revealed this apocalypse, where He is revealing what He is going to do. That is what "apocalypse" means. Near the end of it, John has this great vision.

Who's the "I" here? John. I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them. Who's sitting on that throne? Clearly, this is Jesus.

I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God. And the books, plural, were opened. Circle the "S" on the end of that—books—because it's very important. The books were opened. And another, what? Book. Singular. A book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged out of those things that were written in the books, plural. The dead were judged out of those things that were written in the books according to their works. Everyone will be judged according to their works, good or bad, as stated in 2 Corinthians 5:10.

So, the dead were judged according to the things written in the books, according to their works. The sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell were delivered up. The dead, delivered up the dead which were in them, and they were judged, every man according to their works.

So, who's the one judged according to the works? The ones whose works were written in the books, plural. And death and hell—what was the judgment they received? Verse 14 states that death and hell were cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death. Look at verse 15. Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Here's what we see in this passage as it correlates with 2 Corinthians 5:9. Every one of us will appear before the judgment seat of Christ, and our works will be judged, whether good or bad. All of those whose names are not written in the book of life will be cast into the lake that burns with fire. This is the second death.

Therefore, if your name is written in the book of life, you will not experience what is called the second death, this judgment in the lake that burns with fire. Isn't that a cool sound? Wow, that's cool. Must be Haley.

So, everyone whose name was not written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. So, all of those...

Written in the Book of Life, your works might be exposed. We're not told whether or not they will be exposed, but your works might be revealed on that day. If they are, and if your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life, then Jesus stands as your propitiation, as your atonement. He stands on your behalf and says, "This one is written in my Book of Life."

It seems pretty important, this Book of Life. I want to be in that one. I don't necessarily want to be in the books; I want to be in the Book of Life. How? Mark 16, verse 16 states one of the final things that Jesus says to his disciples: "He that believes and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believes not shall be damned."

In John 3:36, it says, "He that believes on the Son has everlasting life, and he that believes not on the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides upon him." How is someone's name written into the Book of Life? Their names are written not by their good works, because our good or bad works are recorded in the books. However, your name can be written in the Book of Life by the grace of Jesus Christ.

Now, let me have your attention. Your name can be written in the Book of Life by grace through faith. Whoever believes in Him—Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled." It's a troubling thing to think about. It is sobering and troubling to consider that I will stand before God for judgment one day. Yet, He says, "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. Were it not so, I would not have told you I go to prepare a place for you."

Now, how do we get there? Just a few verses later in John 14:6, Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me." He has made the way open. So, how many of you believe this to be true? That if your name is written in the Book of Life...

You will not see the second death. How many of you believe that to be true? Good. Praise the Lord. Alright, you know that to be true.

Look at verse 11, 2 Corinthians 5. Knowing, therefore, that this is going to come to pass, knowing the terror of the Lord, it is a fearful thing. What do we do? We do not kick back and simply feel thankful for the grace that we've received and not do anything. No, we persuade men. We are manifest unto God, and I trust also are manifested in your conscience.

Since we know this to be true, since we know that all humanity will appear before God on that day for judgment, we do not just casually live our lives with a kind of happy thankfulness that we are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. We are thankful that we are written in His Book of Life, but that knowledge should stir us to persuade men. Why? Because we believe that there is a day of judgment coming, and we want that no one would know or experience the wrath of God. The wrath of God is a terrible thing. Now, it is necessary because of the sinfulness of man, but it is a terrible thing. We want that no one would be under that wrath. In fact, God wants that no one would be under that wrath. In 2 Peter 3, verse 9, He says that He is not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance. That is our desire.

If we really believe this, consider the late Christopher Hitchens, who wrote the book "God Is Not Great." He was an atheist, and as much as I disagreed with Christopher Hitchens' theology, which is absolutely absurd and wrong, he knows that now. As much as I disagreed with him, I appreciated his passion and the fact that his concerns and questions were honest. He said, in a debate with a great pastor up in Idaho, Doug Wilson, that if you really believe this terrible judgment is going to come, then you should do everything you possibly can to persuade people. He is right.

The lack of evangelism in my own heart, the lack of being stirred with a passion to persuade people, reflects a complacency with the fact that a day of judgment is coming. It is challenging.

We persuade to induce one by words to believe. That is what it means to persuade. We live a life of sincere gratitude towards God because of the graciousness that He has extended to us. We seek to be well-pleasing to Him, and the knowledge of the coming great judgment that He will bring should inspire us to a greater evangelistic fervor.

I don't remember which great saint of old it was; it may have been Jonathan Edwards, who prayed that God would give him a vision of hell. Why? Not so that he would be afraid of going there, but so that he would be stirred to persuade men. Paul continues in verse 11, stating, "Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are manifest unto God, and I trust also are manifest in your conscience." The New Living Translation reads it like this: "God knows that we are sincere, and I hope that you know this too."

We are sincere in our passion. There is not a vain sort of thing going on here. We are stirred by a passion for souls because we do not want anyone to suffer the second death. In verse 12, Paul writes, "For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf that you may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance and not in heart."

Paul says he is not speaking of his sincerity to elicit greater commendation from the Corinthians for himself or for his co-laborers and companions in ministry. He is not saying these things so that they will pat him and his companions on the back, saying, "Oh yes, we all love Paul; he's great." He is not doing this for accolades or any other sort of recognition. He is doing this because the love of Christ, as we will see in verse 14, constrains him.

Paul is saying these things so that they will recognize and rejoice with him in the work that God has called them to. He expresses this so that they may rejoice with him in their work before those who slander them among the Corinthians. There were people in Corinth, as we have already considered, who were slandering Paul and his ministry, claiming that he was only doing these things for his own selfish gain or for a multitude of other reasons. Paul is saying, "Listen, I am trying to explain to you why I do this."

I do this because I'm genuinely concerned about, number one, pleasing God, and number two, seeing people brought to salvation. This shows me, and I may get some emails on this—I'm perfectly fine with that—that Paul was not an extreme Calvinist. He was not. He believed in the responsibility of men to repent as the call of the gospel would go forth. Otherwise, he would just say, "I do this just to be pleasing to God; the elect will come to faith if God elects them." He doesn't say that. I'm doing this because I want to be pleasing to God. It's about the glory of God chiefly and supremely, but secondarily, it's because I have a concern for the lostness of men; therefore, I persuade men.

There were those who were slandering Paul, saying he was just doing this out of selfish motives. Paul says, "I'm not doing this out of selfish motives. I want to please God; I want to see people brought to salvation, and it is the love of Christ that constrains me." Some people were more concerned about their outward appearance; they had things all together. Paul, apparently from the Scriptures and what we know from history, was not the greatest sight to look upon. When he came to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 1, he talks about coming to them in weakness. He stuttered and had a hard time ministering to them. He was with them in weakness and fear, and all these sorts of things.

There were some people who came in boldly and said, "Paul, look at him; he's nothing. He's reduced to this little, yeah, he's a little Jew from Jerusalem." So, there were people who slandered and belittled him. He says they are more concerned about their outward appearance, but God sees the heart. God clues us into this in 1 Samuel 16:7, where He says to Samuel, "The Lord sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart."

Look at verse 13; I really love this verse. It might become a new verse over my life: "For whether we are beside ourselves, it is to God, or whether we be sober, it is for your cause." I like it in another translation, the New Living Translation: "If it seems that we're crazy, it's to bring glory to God." The things that Paul was doing to some looked like foolishness because the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. There were people who were belittling him because of the foolish nature, the base nature with which he came before them with the gospel. He says, "I don't care what you think; I'm here to be pleasing to God. I want people to come to the knowledge of the truth. The love of Christ constrains me."

If it seems that we're crazy, it's for His glory. If it seems that we are right in our minds, that's for your benefit. When you hear what we're preaching, while other people say, "That guy is nuts," we can see this in the Book of Acts. When Paul appears before one of the leaders of the day and preaches the gospel, Festus' response is, "Paul, much learning has made you mad. You're out of your mind." There are people who will hear the preaching of the gospel and say, "You're out of your mind, you're nuts, you're foolish; this is craziness."

Have you ever met anybody like that? Among the detractors and the mockers, there will be some who say, "No, this guy, what he's saying is right on." So, Paul says here, if it seems that we're crazy, it's to bring glory to God, and if we are in our own right minds, it's for your benefit. If you judge that what we're saying is true, it's for your benefit.

There were those who belittled the ministry of Paul, considering him weak, base, and foolish. Paul's response is found in 1 Corinthians 4:9, where he says, "For I think that God has set us, the apostles, last, as it were appointed to death, for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men." In verse 10, he continues, "We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are honorable, but we are despised."

In 1 Corinthians 1:26, he states, "For you see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise of the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world." How many can identify with that? Yes, that's me. God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. He has chosen the weak things of the world to confound those things that are mighty. The base things of the world and the things that are despised, God has chosen. Yes, and the things which are not, to bring to naught the things that are.

Why does God do this? So that no flesh should glory in His presence. If I had two or three PhDs and spoke five languages, I don't have any of that at all. I graduated from high school. It's great; they spelled my name wrong on my diploma. It's a long name, so I'll give them grace. If I had...

Great celebrity and great power may diminish the glory with which God may get through my life. This is not to say that those things are bad, nor that we should reject them so God gets greater glory. However, God has a tendency of using donkeys like us to speak and to confound people so that He would get great glory. Not just great glory, but great glory.

It seemed utterly foolish to subject oneself to the things that He and His co-laborers endured: being mocked, reproached, beaten, dismissed, and ultimately martyred. To an outside observer who knows not Christ or the kingdom of God, it would appear to be a foolish waste. They might ask, "Why subject yourself to this?" That is a good question. Why do it?

Verse 14 states, "For the love of Christ constrains us." The love of God compels us. God, who is rich in mercy because of His great love, stirs us up with a love for people. God is omnibenevolent, all-loving. When we become believers, as we saw last week, He gives us the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit, and the fruit of the Spirit is love. Thus, the love of Christ compels us and stirs us to be well-pleasing to Him, to seek the lost, so that they may know Christ and not abide under His wrath, for the day of judgment is coming.

Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. We thus judge, as stated in verse 14, that if one died for all, then we are all dead. Jesus came to die for all humanity, proving that all humanity is dead and needs His salvation. Because of the deadness of man and the love of God, we are compelled to preach the gospel and carry the good news to those who are lost.

That compulsion, pray that God would work it into your heart. Pray that He would stir you.

Now, most of the time, we may have a desire to share with someone, but we're embarrassed because of the fear of man. Listen, they're going to think you're crazy anyway. They thought Paul was crazy. If it seems we're crazy, it's for the glory of God. So be a fool for Christ. I guarantee you, on the day of Christ Jesus, when you stand before Him, you really won't care if you were thought foolish by the world. When you hear Him say, "Well done, thy good and faithful servant. Enter into the rest of the Lord."

It is our hope, as it was Paul's hope, as revealed in 1 Thessalonians 2, verse 19. He says, "For what is our hope?" Speaking about him and his co-laborers, he asks, "What is our hope? Our joy? Or our crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ?" It is coming. That's our hope.

Our desire may be thought of as nuts; we may be considered crazy by detractors in this world. They think we're nuts anyway. They question why you would give up a Sunday, some of your income, and a tithe, and why you would spend your time serving. They think it's strange that you do not run with them. But Paul says our hope, our joy, our crown of rejoicing, is that you would be with us in the presence of the Lord at His appearing. That's what we're looking forward to. That's what compels us.

So God, stir in us. Let's stand. Stir in us, Your church, a passion. Stir in us, Lord, a desire. It is You who works in us to will and to do those things that are pleasing to You. The salvation of lost souls is pleasing to You. There's more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner that repents. So Lord, clearly, it brings You joy to see people come to the knowledge of the truth.

So God, stir in us this week, today, to step out of our comfort zone. Maybe if it's as simple as just giving someone a little card that says "Cross Connection" on it and saying, "Hey, come with me next week to church," God, stir in us. Especially as we approach.

Easter Sunday is here, and as we get ready to have the services where we invite our community to the Center for the Arts, Lord, stir in us. Move us with Your love. Compel us with the grace that You have given to us, that we would persuade men.

Perhaps this morning, as you've been hearing God's Word, this is the first time that you've thought it doesn't seem nuts to you. God is speaking to your heart, drawing you to Himself, and He desires that you would turn to Him because He wants no one to perish in the second death. That day is coming.

If God is speaking to your heart and you recognize today your sinfulness, know that the holy, holy, holy God will never look upon your good works and see them as sufficient. If you recognize that God is drawing you to Himself, would you step out from where you are right now? Come down here to the front. Some of our pastors and elders are going to be here to pray with you and to share more fully the gospel with you, the good news of Christ.

If you want to receive Christ today, if you recognize your lostness and His grace, come and confess your sins. Step out from where you are. Don't be afraid. No one here will think you're crazy. They might at work, but not here. I'll give you just a moment.

Take a step forward, and I will serve you as if you are right now. Come freely, and there will be good success for you. Leave your burdens here, and I will give you a blessing. It might not feel like a good blessing to you because you may not be in such a good mood, but know that God desires to meet you where you are.