Sermon Manuscript

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 ~ 20190120 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

01/20_2 Corinthians 5:14-15; Constrained By Substitution ; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20190120_2cor5_14-15.mp3

The Governing Influence

What moves you? What motivates you to action? What gets you up in the morning and propels you forward? What is the driving force in your life that moves you to do what you do? And what keeps you on course, what prevents you from veering off in an unwise direction? In 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, Paul gives us his motive for ministry, and I submit to you, this would be a great passage to paint in large letters on the ceiling above your bed [or you could write it on a 3x5 card and keep it on your nightstand or on your mirror or on the dash of your car].

2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 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.

[Pray]

The love of Christ controls or constrains us; this is why we do everything we do. In the past verses Paul pointed to the fact that he lives to God and in service to others. Knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others (v.11). In light of the coming judgment, where every person will stand before Christ to receive what is due for what he has done in the body, good or evil (v.10), we make it our aim to please him (v.9). The love of Christ and the fear of Christ are the twin motives that propel Paul to do everything he does. He aims above all else to please his Master. Fear and love. We could put them together this way; because of the great love with which Christ has so loved him, he fears displeasing him in anything.

Doctrine Drives Desires and Decisions

The love of Christ controls us, having concluded this. Paul concluded, judged, decided or determined; this is a logical conclusion or determination drawn from doctrine. And this shows us that doctrine is not merely scholastic; doctrine is practical. Understanding the truths of scripture motivates our passions, our desires, our decisions. Many people say 'I'm not into all that doctrine or theology stuff; I just want to follow Jesus' - as if there was a choice between the two! Following Jesus means believing things about God – that's the essence of theology. Everyone is a theologian – everyone believes stuff about God and life and the world. The question is not if you will do theology; the question is will you do it well, biblically, or poorly?

Paul gives us a dense theological statement that expresses the love of Christ for him, and he uses it as the motivating force for how he lives.

One Died For [ὑπέρ] All

Today we are going to attempt to unpack this statement, to treasure it, to see how it works as power to propel a life pleasing to the Lord.

One on behalf of all died

so the all died

and on behalf of all he died

in order that the living

no longer to themselves live

but to the one who on behalf of them died and was raised

This is the great love of Christ; Christ died for the ungodly (Rom.5:6). While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom.5:8). The Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Gal.2:20).

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for [περὶ] sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, ...

Jesus said:

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

Jesus died for; one died instead of, in the place of, in the name of or in the interest of, as a substitute. I deserved death. He stood in my place; he took my punishment; he died my death, for me. Jesus died for my benefit, but more than that; he died as my substitute. He took my name. Think of it this way; I was guilty of a capital crime. I stood before the judge and was condemned. I waited in my cell. The day of execution arrived, the guard came to lead me away, he called my name, and Jesus stepped forward. He answered to my name. He took my place. He died for me. That's what 1 Peter 3:18 said; 'Christ suffered... the righteous for the unrighteous.'

So The All Died – Romans 6 & 7

And if that happened, I had better disappear. I better never use my name again. According to the law, I am dead, so I must not show up again. That points to the other half of this:

One on behalf of all died

so the all died

Paul concludes that if Jesus died for all, then whoever the 'all' is, they all are dead. If he took my identity, and died as me, then my identity is now dead. In Galatians 2, where 'the Son of God loved me and gave himself for me', it says

Galatians 2:19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live...

Jesus gave himself for me. He died as my substitute, and as a result, I was crucified with Christ. I was condemned with him under the law, and I died. His death was my death.

About a year after writing this letter of 2 Corinthians, while Paul was in Corinth, he wrote another letter, to the church in Rome. In Romans 6 and 7 he unpacks and fleshes out this dense doctrinal statement; 'one on behalf of all died; so the all died.' The best commentary on Scripture is Scriture.

In Romans 6, Paul is arguing that we who have experienced God's grace must not continue in sin.

Romans 6:2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

Baptism is a picture of being plunged into the death of Jesus. We have been united to Jesus in his death. We were buried with him into death. We were immersed into his death. Therefore we have died to sin. When he took our name, he died for us, and we died with him. We have been united to him in death.

He goes on.

Romans 6:6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

My old sinful identity was crucified with Christ. If that person who was enslaved to sin is now dead, then the power of sin over him has been broken.

In Romans 7, Paul shows us 'that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives' (v.1). He uses the illustration of marriage, 'till death do us part; if the husband dies, his wife ' is released from the law of marriage'

Romans 7:4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. ...6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, ...

The law is binding only as long as I live. And in Christ's death, I died to the law.

When Christ took my name and died for me, my identity died with him. So now I am set free from that old identity – it is dead. I am now free to assume a new identity; 'It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.' (Gal.2:20). I now belong to him.

The Purpose of The Doctrine

One on behalf of all died

so the all died

and on behalf of all he died

in order that the living

no longer to themselves live

but to the one who on behalf of them died and was raised

Here we get to the purpose of the doctrine, the conclusion he draws from the truth of our death with Christ who died for us. Christ died in my place, so I died with him. He died in my place in order that I no longer live my life to myself but to him who died in my place and was raised.

If I get this, if I really understand what Jesus did for me, that he died my death, that he paid my price, that he took my name, and that my old identity died with him, then it should change the way I live. I am not my own. I was bought with a price (1Cor.6:20; 7:23). I am alive, spiritually alive, eternally alive because he died for me. I want to live my life for him, to please him. I must not live my life for me, to please me. Christ's love constrains me, compels me. I want to live for his glory. I want to use my body, my energy, my gifts, my abilities not to please me, but him.

This is powerful. The truth – doctrine, theology is powerful! 'You will know the truth,' Jesus said, 'and the truth will set you free' (Jn.8:32). Am I tempted to lust, to look at pornography? Jesus died because of that sin; he died for me, and I died with him. I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. Jesus does not want to look with lust on another person for whom he died. His love constrains me. Do you see how powerful this truth is?

Romans 6:11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.

This is transformational truth!

I have been hurt, I have been wronged, and I want to respond, to react in the flesh. But that flesh that I want to respond in is dead. It was crucified with Christ. Anger, animosity, bitterness, grudge-holding, gossip, revenge; that was my old identity, and it is dead. Jesus forgives those who wrong him, he does not open his mouth in his own defense, he is patient and kind. Jesus loves his enemies. He loved me!

Things haven't gone my way. Circumstances are out of my control. I am struggling with feelings of depression or anxiety. I want to respond with my old coping mechanisms, with my old patterns of behavior. I am inclined to eat too much or drink too much or spend too much or harm myself in other ways. I am inclined to withdraw, to put up walls, to close myself in, or to snap back, to react, to lash out, to hurt others because I am hurt. But it's not all about me. I am no longer to live to myself but for him, and for others. I am set free from the slavery of a heart turned in on itself. Jesus said 'not my will but yours be done'.

Romans 7:4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

We have died to that which held us captive. We now belong to another, to Jesus, who was raised from the dead, and his resurrection power is at work in us. We are set free to bear fruit for God by the work of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

So in all things we make it our aim to please him.

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Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org