MPC, 15th July 2001.2 Corinthians 5 - "Living For Jesus, Not Self"
Cameron Wills MPC, 15th July 2001.
A couple of weeks ago, just as winter was starting, two friends of mine went on a holiday to NSW. They thought it would be great to go camping. Living in a tent. Smelling the fresh country air, looking at a sky full of stars. Toasting marshmallows around the fire.
So they packed up the car with their clothes and camping gear, and off they went. They went to the Warumbungle Mountains, near Coonabarrabran. Keen as mustard, they set up their tent, spread out their bed for the first night's sleep, and began their camping adventure. But not long after this, the temperature began to drop, and drop, and drop. And pretty soon it was minus 12 degrees!!
Not even their 0 degrees rated sleeping bags were enough to keep warm. And neither was their feather-down doona they put inside the sleeping bags. And not even with the blanket piled on top of all that. They were COLD!! The camping adventure didn't seem quite so much fun now, living in a flimsy tent.
In fact, living in a tent had lost all its appeal. There was no way they wanted to stay in the tent a moment longer than they had to. All through the night they'd been longing for something better. And so when morning finally arrived, they packed up the tent and went looking for somewhere with four solid walls, and electric blankets
The Apostle Paul says that the Christian life is like that. That you shouldn't be too attached to tent living. But this is what false teachers at Corinth were doing - they were glorying in a tent. The now and the seen. Rather than living for what's later and unseen, which is far better. And the Corinthians were in danger of following their lead, and doing just the same.
Now the Apostle Paul starts off the chapter by telling us that our bodies are like a tent. But that we will receive A SOLID BUILDING to live in after we die. That the better building isn't for now, but comes later. This is what he says in Verse 1. Look at it with me "Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, WE HAVE A BUILDING FROM GOD, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands."
The Christian life isn't meant to be easy - cause you're living in a flimsy tent. But the Christian life is a journey, and you're heading home. It's not a life of now, and what's seen. So we look forward with longing for the better day. The day when we escape living in tents. No more biting-cold wind whistling through the cracks. And no more shivering in sleeping bags. Read Verse 4 with me "for while we are in this tent, WE GROAN AND ARE BURDENED, because we don't wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life."
As some of you know from experience, this tent, this body, is slowly falling to bits. It's not going to last. The teeth, the hair, the smooth skin. They all go. But we don't have to get totally depressed about that. Because there's an eternal building to come.
So don't focus on the now and what can be seen - externals. Live for the mansion to come, not for the tent we have now.
Now these false teachers in Corinth are glorying in tent living. They're fixing their eyes on what's seen and now, and not on what's unseen and later. And they were RUBBISHING PAUL, and telling the Corinthian believers to follow them, not Paul.
So Paul's got a loyalty battle on his hands. And it's a battle that he wants to win. Paul wants these Christians to be on his side. He wants them to have HIM, as their apostle, and not the guys who are bagging him. He doesn't want the Corinthians to follow the false apostles. Even more than that, Paul wants the Corinthians to stick up for him when the false teachers are criticizing him. Because those false teachers HAVE GOT IT WRONG They're patting themselves on the back for their outward actions. They glory in appearances.
See what Paul says in verse twelve "We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, SO THAT YOU CAN ANSWER THOSE who take pride in what is seen rather than what is in the heart."
The false apostles focussed on saying words and doing actions for public praise. They were slick and impressive. That's what they were encouraging the Corinthians to value. But Paul's showing that the Christian life isn't about focussing on what can be seen.
DON'T LIVE BY APPEARANCES, is what he's telling them. And it's what he's telling you, as well. Now in appearances you might not look impressive, but you could be absolutely genuine in following Jesus. And you could be surprised about who God's impressed with. It could be a very ill Christian friend. They're lying in a hospital bed, wasting away. They're in pain, but they only think of others. Or they're poor, and living in a run-down one bedroom unit, when you've got plenty, and yet they're godly. Or they drive a 1971 Kingswood and you've got a new Ferrari. But in their heart they love the Lord Jesus. Which do you think God values?
Well, in Corinth they've got it all the wrong way round. They're just living for themselves. And Paul says that living for someone OTHER than ourselves is actually what the Christian life is all about. But the Corinthians are in danger of missing the whole point. Because they've got the false apostles encouraging them to live for SELF, by living for what's seen and what's now. The false apostles are rubbishing Paul, because in looks, he's very unimpressive. He's got bruises all over his face from the last time he was stoned. But Paul says that the Corinthians shouldn't be surprised if he looks like that. Because he's not LIVING FOR HIMSELF, but he's living for Jesus who died for him and was raised again. And Paul is telling the Corinthians THAT THEY should be living for Jesus as well.
Listen to what he says in verses fourteen and fifteen "For Christ's love compels us, for we are convinced THAT ONE DIED FOR ALL, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should NO LONGER lives for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again."
So if you're living for Jesus there's meant to be a big change in your life. A brand new life's begun. Listen to how he puts it in verse seventeen "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; THE OLD HAS GONE, the new has come!"
Paul tells us that God has made people who were once estranged to Him - people like you and me - reconciled to Him. He's restored a shattered friendship. And He's done it, by the death of Jesus. Which means that our turning away from God, our ignoring and rebelling against Him, our sin doesn't have to count as a black mark against us. Verse nineteen "that God was RECONCILING the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation."
It's a bit like two brothers in America that I read about. They've made a movie about them. They'd had a shattered friendship for decades. They hadn't even spoken to each other for years. No letters, no Christmas cards, not even a phone call.
But then one brother decides to end the bitterness and restore their friendship. And he decides to visit his brother, who lives about two thousand kilometres away. About the same distance as from Brisbane to Cairns. There's just one problem, his drivers licence has been taken off him because of his old age. But he isn't going to let that stop him. So he decides to drive his RIDE-ON MOWER to his brother's place. So there he is with his ride-on mower and little trailer behind it. And it takes him weeks to drive the thousands of kilometres to his brother's place. But he does it.
And when he gets there, his brother is so overwhelmed at the effort he's made, that he decides to accept the offer of reconciliation. Their friendship was restored.
Now GOD was offering reconciliation TO THE CORINTHIANS, through Jesus who died for them. But they're saying 'no thanks', we're quite happy with how things are now. God's offering them a heavenly mansion and saying 'come on in'. But they're too much at home here, in the tent they have now and can see.
But God wants them to be reconciled to him. So he's sent Paul to them as his messenger and representative. Look with me at verse twenty "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: BE RECONCILED TO GOD."
In the past the Corinthian Christians had joyously received Paul and his message about Jesus. But Paul has been telling them through this chapter how they are in danger of leaving the true Christian life. How they are in danger of walking away from following Jesus.
By living FOR THEMSELVES, and not living for Jesus By living for the here and the seen. And not for what's later and unseen. By glorying in this earthly tent or living for the praise of other people.
But this would lead to disaster. Paul says that living that way will make Jesus' death of no use to them at all. That God's undeserved favour of reconciliation would be wasted on them. Look at verse one of chapter six "As God's fellow workers we urge you NOT TO RECEIVE GODS GRACE IN VAIN."
You see the Corinthians needed to know, that if they were LIVING FOR THEMSELVES, that they had actually been led away from Jesus. That they had walked away from Christ's death on the cross. And Paul's warning them about where this would take them.
Now maybe you're in that same position. Maybe you've been led away from Christ and his death on the cross. Christ died that you would live for HIM, not for yourself. You might be living for yourself though.
Maybe you're living for the here and now. Glorying in tent living.
Focusing on the seen. You could be glorying in appearances. Living for praise from others. It can be easy to do.
Don't risk receiving God's grace in vain. If you are living for yourself, then you need to turn back to Christ. Live for him, who died for you and was raised again.