Sermon: Life For Christ

Take a copy of God's word this morning. We're gonna turn open to the book of 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 if you're using Pew Bible there, it's on page 966 of the Pew Bible.

2 Corinthians chapter 5

this morning. We're just going to look at verses 14 through 15. 2 Corinthians 5

let's go ahead and pray before we hear God's word red and preach this morning.

My father we do believe that this word is living and active. And it's sharper than any two-edged sword.

And we pray this morning that it would be living an active in our midst. We need your spirit to take. Or just letters on a page.

And to work them in our hearts and into our souls. Who are very persons? We might know that we have heard from you the Living God. speaks to his people

Speak to us today. Oh Lord, we pray. and the strong name of Christ amen Saint Corinthians 5 verses 14 through 15. This is the holy inerrant sufficient word of God.

For the Love of Christ controls us Because we have concluded this that one has died for all. therefore all have died and he died for all that those who live might no longer live for themselves. but for him for their sake died. was raised the grass withers the flower fades the word of God is forever. Thanks be to God. amen

these next few weeks or some of my favorite weeks of the calendar year here in East Lansing where all of the students descend upon the area and staff comes back and faculty comes back. There's just all of this energy in the air the The streets are packed. There are people in all of the restaurants. just excitement and My Hope and my exhortation for us as a body This week and over these next. few weeks is to remind you of

what you are already good at is that hope that we would have a good spirit of warm Hospitality as different people walk through the doors here at University Reformed Church over these next weeks. Would encourage you that this takes all of us. It's all of us for this place to have a spirit of hospitality. And so would you think about Starting today and over these next few weeks. I introducing yourself to two different people that you don't know. I that you

see in the Pew by you or in the hallway now. Listen, I understand the fear. Some of you have been here for a while and you think well, I'm not sure if they've been here for a while or if I'm introduce it. Listen, we have two years of covid as an excuse. We haven't been together. I introduced myself to people every week that have been here longer than I have so you can do it as well just introduce yourself to someone get to know

them maybe introduce them to someone else as we seek to extend Hospitality, especially over these. next week's You know some will come through these doors over these weeks and they will come here searching for something. They don't quite know why they're here. They don't know what they're searching for. But they know they're searching for something. in fact that maybe true of some of you even hear this morning. You're not quite sure why you're

here. But you came. And you're here. You're searching for something. the questions that go through the mind can be things such as I don't quite know. Why exist? I don't know what my purpose is. Or even that just more fundamental question. Who is it exactly that I am?

This passage this morning. It has answers to all those questions and I think it's helpful for all of us as we sit in this place and as we think about such things and we consider Our Lives What controls you?

controls you What motivates you?

But is it that shapes you?

Some will move to East Lansing over the next weeks. They will be driven by an experience to have fun. It's just fun that drives them. The others that are here to find a future spouse that's what drives him or to find friends. Like they didn't have back home. That's what drives him. That's what shapes and there will be some that believe that they are on the path as they come to this city and are on the path to riches and to fame. That's what drives them.

What drives you What controls you?

Paul says that there is one thing. one thing that controls the Christian one thing he says in our text. the love of Christ controls us the love of Christ controls

we're doing just a short little sermon series over these last couple weeks. It's been the final week before next week. We start the the book of Hebrews. We're just looking at life in Christ. What does it look like to have a life in Christ in that first week? We looked at life in Christ and the second week. We looked at life with Christ. And now this week what I want to do is look at life for Christ. To all we're doing with this passage. We're not doing a deep dive.

All we're doing is looking at these two verses and what is it that Paul is bringing forth for us about life for Christ. Life for Christ. I want to do it this morning with two questions. Just want to take two questions to organize this as we go through this text and then I want to apply it in four ways. So two questions followed by for application. The first question is this what is it? That controls the Christian? What is it that controls

the Christian? And Paul's answer is the love of Christ controls. That is the Christian Life is a life lived for Christ. a life lived for Christ What does This Love Of Christ that controls that? Paul has a mind it is not where our mind immediately runs our love for Christ. It's not the love of Christ that Paul has in mind here. It's not our love for Christ but rather it is Christ love for us. Everything always begins in

the Christian Life with Christ's love for us and he makes it very clear that it is This Love that he's speaking of Christ loving us. This is made clear by the fact that Paul goes on the detail the Great ACT of Christ's love. his atoning death Is death for sinners? And so it is that love that he says is the engine of the life of the Christian Christ love. now having been the recipient of that love. Having received Christ's love.

For Sinners we respond to it. But it's that love that marks the Christian.

Charles Hodge in commenting upon this passage pointed out that the trait common among all Christians is this He makes the point that it's not benevolence because if it was benevolence that marks somebody as a Christian that makes someone a Christian then every philanthropist would be a Christian. He says it's not reverence for God that makes one a Christian because of that was the case then every Muslim and every Jew would be a Christian.

He says it's not morality that makes one a Christian because if it was that that makes when a Christian then every person that is Honorable would be a Christian. Know what is it? That makes when a Christian it is not virtues that make the man or woman a Christian but being a Christian that makes one a virtuous man or a woman. Being virtuous doesn't make someone a Christian than what does. The Christian is above all else.

Someone who has been United to the person of Christ. You're United Christ. You've received the love of Christ the person who has been seized and changed by the love of Christ for the love of Christ controls us Paul saying I've been gripped. by This Love Of Christ

now because we're the recipients of Christ's love because that love has been poured out upon us the Christian then is so effective by that love that we are as Paul says here compelled whereas the old translations would say constrained to make our living a living for Christ. So affected by this love. So gripped and changed by this love. That now we live a life for Christ.

It moves us. It presses us and shapes us it compels us.

The love of Christ for the Christian becomes the great governing influence over our entire lives. Its shapes everything.

Todd said about the Christian Living For Christ. You said the man who does this perfectly is a perfect Christian? The man who does it in perfectly yet with the sincere desire to be entirely devoted to Christ is a sincere Christian on the other hand the man who lives supremely for himself for his family for science for the world for mankind, whatever else it may be he is not a Christian. That's right. our second question

Why should This Love? Why should This Love Of Christ control us? Paul says we have concluded this that one has died for all therefore all have died and he died for all that those who live might no longer live for themselves. But for him who for their sake died and was raised why should This Love? controller because it's an extraordinary love. It's an extraordinary love.

What makes it clear here?

A Christ's love was a self-sacrificial love. It was a self-sacrificial love. He says for all. Now he's not trying to make the point that Christ died for every man woman and child. No, rather by saying all he's making a clear that Christ atoning death was once for All For Those whom he purchase that all as you go through these two verses it must be consistent. Those who he died for those all those old died with them and those all were

raised with him. We know that all not all are raised with him. So not all died with him. The old is all those that he died for.

It's all it's consistent throughout the text. And what Paul's point is here, is that his sacrifices once it's once for all all he died for died with him and those who died with him were raised with him with him. He's not like the sacrifices before him. No, it was once for all it wasn't many after many after many. It wasn't sacrifice for sin after sin. Sacrifice you sin sacrifice, sin sacrifice. No, it is one sacrifice for all.

And it's a self-sacrifice. for sinners It's this kind of love. an extraordinary love

how extraordinary

Paul and Galatians 2:20 is thinking upon this idea that Christ died for him and that he died with Christ. And he will say there in Galatians 2:20. He will say I have been crucified with Christ.

And the life I now live in flesh. I live by faith and the son of God. Who loved me and gave? himself for me

it's trying to contemplate this and he's thinking about this and I think this is right. I I'm happy to be corrected. If one of you find something different, I remember hearing it from some other preacher from Sinclair Ferguson, I believe who said it once but I believe he's right. This is the only place in the New Testament where someone uses words like this where he puts it in the first person where he says Jesus loves me.

That that song many of us learned as children and we will teach our children. Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so. I think this is the only place in the New Testament where someone actually appropriates language like that. Jesus loves me. Now John the Apostle of course will say that he is the one whom Jesus loved. You have Jesus speaking about loving the Sheep. Who have all kinds of? Promises and all kinds of comfort throughout

the scriptures that Jesus loves his own but here is Paul. He's thinking about Christ dying for him sacrificing himself for him and he comes to the conclusion and he kind of erupts in a kind of of doxology. Jesus loves me.

Loves me. And did you catch what he called Jesus? Because this is what makes it extraordinary. He says the son of God.

Who sacrificed himself? And died. loved me

Son of God

the second person of the Triune godhead A very son of the father who is known. Eternal happiness and eternal glory and eternal Joy with the father who know perfect and complete. Peace. He abandons all of that. That's what's in the mind of Paul the son of God. He leaves glory and he becomes part of his creation his creation and he suffers at the hand of his creatures. He humbled himself to the point of death even death upon a cross.

Why? Because the Son of God loved me.

That's extraordinary love.

That's the controllers.

Jesus Will hint at this when he utters what many believed to be hard words when he will Say that if anyone. Loves father or mother or son or daughter more than me. He is not worthy of me.

But those aren't hard words for someone that has been gripped with the love of Christ.

Those are naturally right words.

Look, I love my mama. I love my wife. I love my kids. I love my church.

But none of these. None of these solicits and demands the love that Christ does from me.

Because of the great extraordinary love he has shown me.

That is the heartbeat of the Christian.

We live for Christ. the love of Christ controls me

and what to suggest four ways we're to live for Christ this morning. four ways we live for Christ by placing our faith in him. We live for Christ by worshiping him. We live for Christ by serving as bride. And finally by seeking to honor him and all of life. First we live for Christ by placing our faith in him. No one can live for Christ unless they are united to Christ and no one can be United to Christ apart from faith in Christ. Paul's argument

here. Is that because we died in him and with him we are now to live for him. What does it mean that you died with him? It means that you died to sin. It means that you died to your adversary. It means that you died to the world. It means that that old you that was under the Dominion of sin is dead. And how is it that you die in him? You cannot die in him unless you have faith in him. Because this is only by having faith in him that

you are united to him. living for Christ begins with faith in Christ And that gives him glory.

many

doubt there's some of you in this room this morning. Think well, I've taken up a neutral stance towards Christ. I'm not sure what to make of him.

I'm holding my cards right now. I'm not all in. On this Jesus yet? Had you my bets. I want to see a few more cards laid out before I go all in.

And you rationalize that you haven't. Denied him.

Did you see there's no middle ground here?

in order to go all in on Christ

Reality, is that by not making a decision? You've made a decision? Faith honors Christ as he is.

It says I look not to myself. I cannot depend upon myself. I depend holy and totally upon him who lived for me and who died for me who was buried for me and who was raised on the third day for me. I find all things in him. He is completely sufficient for me. I need nothing else and I want nothing else. I'm all in on Christ.

The reverse is also true.

My faith is not yet in Christ.

And I am saying by my unbelief that I believe something else is worth living for. That Christ is somehow insufficient that he's not enough that I need this something other.

And in essence we are saying that we worship this something other.

That's something other is worthy of My Worship more than Christ.

Christ demands to be first in all thing.

We live for Christ by first having faith in Christ. Second we live for Christ by worshiping Christ.

You and I always worship what we value most and we are always worshiping always.

Love David in that Psalm Psalm 29 at the very beginning where he is calling out to the Angels Above and He says oh Heavenly beings described to the Lord Glory and Honor ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. He's just crying out. There is an overflow of his heart as he is constrained for Christ. As he is compelled by Christ he wants to see all of the created order and it's not enough that he just offers his voice alone. He's calling the angels to

Bear witness with him and he's saying look give God glory in essence worship Him. worship Him why? Because God is worthy of worship. in Christ as God living for Christ means worshiping Christ and that means gathering with God's people weekend and week out for worship. Must be here.

required of you

Even in heaven this is the scene of the Angels the Christians on high they are gathered to worship. Now we'll discuss in a few moments is absolutely true that all of life is to be lived and worshiped to God and yet it is a consistent throughout the scriptures that God's people are gathered together in order to be gathered together to give him worship that we are not as the writer of Hebrews says to forsake the weekly Fellowship

of the Saints. If you think back over the scriptures from the foot of Mount Sinai to the temple to the synagogues to the private houses in Acts. We see God's people Gathering Together week after week Lord's day after Lord's Day Sabbath after Sabbath that they might worship the true Living God together. In Acts 2:42 the very beginning of the New Testament Church. We read there that the first Christians met together regularly weaken and

week out for what for the teaching and the fellowship and the Lord's Supper in prayer. And First Corinthians, 11:18, we read of instructions of quote when you come together as a church. This is a unique Gathering. Quote a church as a church, which is not the same thing as a few Christians gathering together for a Bible studying down to listen to a podcast together. We come together as the church for worship. This is part and parcel of what it means to live

a living life of faith for Christ.

Is grieve me as a thought about this special last couple of years hearing? the arguments otherwise and I've often thought the apostles would absolutely blush.

To think that they're able-bodied Christians. Who are forsaking meeting together with other Christians for worship?

When they watched their brothers and sisters die. together

I was saying before the service and here we have a couple in this room.

that are not able-bodied that are struggling with different physical issues and Two people mind right now that will tell me over and over. I just try and get Sunday to church. I just want to be with God's people to worship Him.

This is fundamental the living for him. We gather for worship every week. You keep at it. Even when you got a problem with someone in this room, they've hurt you. You keep at it.

When you're tired, and you're weary, you keep at it. You feel like your languishing in your Christian Life you especially keep at it. When you got a problem with the preacher because he's offended you just don't like that guy. You keep at it. You're here for Christ.

This is part of living for Christ.

But there's another reason you come as well. Third we live a life for Christ by serving his bride. the church live a life for Christ by serving his bride the church. Paul will speak of himself this way throughout this book if we go back to chapter 4 verse 12, he says so death is at work in us but life in you that is he is dying. He's literally expending himself. as death for their sake he will say in 4:15 for it is all for

your sake so that as Grace extends to more and more people. He will summarize this type of living for the church and just the verse right before our two verses in chapter 5 verse 13 this proceeding verse by saying that he is in his right mind in this way two ways. He says this is how I know. I'm in my right mind by these two things what two things Paul what two thing. He says by living for God and for you. This is living in your right

mind for God. And for his church. living for God or for Christ means living for his people

and I do premarital counseling. I always have the couple one of our sessions part of that session is always going through their family of origin. we talk about their siblings that they grew up with we talk about their mom and their dad we talk about their uncles and their aunts and their grandparents and it's purposeful. I want them to see all the positives and some of the negatives. But the other reason is this is so that their future spouse

knows look you're not just marrying them. For Better or For Worse you also get their family You get the whole package?

When the love of Christ is poured out upon us. And we are seized and gripped by that love of Christ. We not only get Christ. We get his family.

It won another. live for Christ or his people

the constant refrain for Paul throughout the New Testament and it should be for every Christian. It will go so far as to save Philippians 2 that he is content to be poured out as a drink offering for the sake of quote your faith. That as he's willing to expend himself his entire life why expended all that they that they might grow in their faith. He sees his life as lived underneath the banner. I'm for Christ and I'm forced people. They are

two sides of the same coin. If I'm for Christ. I'm forced people. If we would live for Christ, we can't do that. Hold up in our prayer closets if we would live for Christ. We can't do that. Hold up at our homes. If we would live for Christ, we can't do that by. Just sticking close to our select friend group. to live for Christ means that we pour out our lives for the sake of his bride the church.

give Give to one another in community together.

You can't do everything all the time. We all live in different seasons of life. Some Seasons that you'll be able to give more to your brothers and sisters in Christ in the church gathered then you can at other times.

We're to continually live with this family mindset that I am here for them.

We live for Christ by placing our faith in him. I worshiping him by serving his bride and finally we live for Christ by seeking to honor him. in all of life

Paul sum this up and First Corinthians 10:31 where he says so whether you eat or drink or whatever you do do all to the glory of God at every given moment. Paul is saying you are either living for God the Creator or you're living for something in creation at any given moment. At every given moment. He's saying that at every given moment, even when we eat or drink we are to do all to the glory of God.

Because we've been constrained. controlled by this love

John Piper will call this the Continental Divide in theology that we believe that God created all this for us or we believe that it created all this for him. It's one or the other. And that makes life in our minds either man-centered or it makes it God's centered. I want to be very clear. everything everything was created for him.

It means you were created for him. Means I was created for him.

often think about this time of year when all the college students to send back upon the university and think so many that are coming from all of our state and all over the country and from all over the world and they're coming to gain knowledge. Why they're coming.

And I think they could literally learn nothing else while they're here. nothing

and if they come through these doors and they learn. They were created for him.

They've attained the greatest Riches of knowledge that you can possibly have.

Created for him.

And they need our witness for him.

Once we're United to him than all of our life is dominated by This Love Of Christ and it solicits our living for him all for him.

Welcome this over and over throughout the scriptures. I love at the end of Romans. He has gone through this magnificent book. Right. It is the Mount Everest of the scriptures doctrinally and he goes through 16 chapters of Doctrine detailing the gospel in Christ Jesus, and then he gets to chapter 16 and we get to the very end and verse 26 and now he's going to apply it all at the end and just kind of one big verse

He says this. That all of this has now been disclosed. Has been made known to All Nations to bring about The Obedience of Faith to the only wise God be glory forever more through Jesus Christ The Obedience of faith.

the gospel grants us faith so that we are united to Christ and we are then constrained and compelled by that love of Christ so that now we live in obedience to him. We live in The Obedience of faith. And what's the result poses it is to glorify him? Give some praise.

He will write there in Romans 12 after he is. Gone through 11 chapters of all the meaty weighty Doctrine and before he launches into all the rest of the application and chapter 12 through verse 16. He just wants to set the stage for you in verses 1 and 2 of chapter 12. And what does he say after all this doctrinal all this gospel of Christ? What does he say? I appeal to you therefore Brothers by the mercies of God to do what to present your bodies as

a Living Sacrifice.

all to him

What it means? to live for Christ

John start commenting upon this said this he said for the Christians seeks to live his life and all its parts unto Christ. We're to set Christ always before is to keep him constantly in our minds. And before our eyes or life is to be directed towards him are ambition is to please deserve and to obey him and are Supreme concern is that in all things? He may be glorified. and all thing

Start tells this story about. about Chadwick Samuel Chadwick who was the head of the Methodist conference in the early 20th century that Samuel Chadwick had told the story about when he was a boy. He was in a Sunday school class and there was a preacher that. came to that Sunday school class and the preacher was was teaching them and he began to talk about John Newton that famous him writer and famous Pastor in the preacher had said this he said if John Newton had

been a Shiner of shoes. He would have been the best Shiner of shoes in his village. Because he would have shined those shoes for Jesus. Isn't that beautiful? all for Christ it's lesson captured Samuel Chadwick as he was listening to it because Is one of his weekly chores at home was to shine all of his father's shoes, and he hated it. So the very next day he was shining his father's shoes. And he had just finished shining the pair of shoes that he most

hated shining out of all the shoes that he hated Shining. And he said he sat at there on the floor and he looked at it. And in that moment, he remembered the words of his teacher.

And Chadwick says this you said I thought to myself. I wonder if those boots would look well on the feet of Jesus Christ.

and Chadwick then said France or I took up the boots? And began again. It was a simple thing to do, but I believe that it was the most important thing I ever did in my life. I got in the habit. of doing the simplest duties as unto and for Jesus Christ

you can wash the dishes for Christ.

You can sit. In a lecture hall and listen to a boring Professor or Christ. You can play with your kids on the floor. Christ

can do all things for Christ.

And that in fact is what the Christian is called to do.

all for Christ Why because the love of Christ's extraordinary love controls?

disclose with this I just want to

The one stray thought some have when they think about these things. The end of our verse is here. Paul says this that purpose clothes. I want you to see that purpose clothes he has there. He says and he died for all. that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who for their sake died and was raised well close it with he died and he was raised for our sake. He calls us to live for his glory. He

was die. He died and he was raised for our sake. it goes to that Westminster Shorter cadism question one, which the Westminster Divine so beautifully put down where they put together these two things that they're not disparate realities that we are to seek in life all things to the glory of God to the glory of Christ and yet all these things are ultimately for good. That when you and I seek the glory of Christ. We could say it this way when we seek

the glory of Christ when we do things for Christ. We're actually doing what it's for or good. They're tied together.

God in his Amazing Grace and kindness and mercy has tied them together. And the more that you and I understand that living for Christ is for or good. the more life we will have

and the more people out there understand that living for Christ. Is the way the more life there will be out there.

the love of Christ's constrain you this is the heartbeat of the Christian. his love controls us let's pray.

Father we do exalt you this morning.

We're thankful for the great love that you've shown us in Christ Jesus. Loved me. We all be able to say that in this room this morning. He loved me. And may that love. constrain us controllers shape and mold those the glory of our great savior And you our father in Heaven? We pray this in the strong name of Christ. amen