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He That Knew No Sin!

October 19, 2008
Morning Service

II Cor. 5

 

Review:

  1. In chapter 3 of this second letter to the church at Corinth, Paul explained how much more glorious the new covenant, which is written on the heart by the Spirit, and produces life, is than the old covenant. Which he referred to as the letter, which kills.  The old covenant, eye for an eye, and the new covenant, love, grace, forgiveness, and mercy.
  2. Paul also told how that the Jews are blinded to the fact that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of God.  He said a veil is over their face when they read the Scriptures, so that they can’t see Jesus.  Even unto this day.
  3. In chapter 4 Paul explains to them that he accepts eagerly the challenge of preaching Christ to the world.  How that there are many obstacles, and dangers while ministering the Word of God.  Then he closes with this:

2Co 4:16-18  For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.  (17)  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;  (18)  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

 

Let’s begin chapter 5:

 

2Co 5:1-21  For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.  (2)  For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:  (3)  If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.  (4)  For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. 

  • Now as we see, it would be easy to assess that when we die we go immediately to be with the Lord.  However as we continue to study, and as we saw in the first letter, there is a time of waiting for all things to be completed.  Some scriptures to study on this idea; 
  1. I Cor. 15 the resurrection chapter.  Tells exactly how the resurrections will take place.
  2. Another is I Thess. 4:13-18;
  3. Another is Hebrews 11:39-40;
  • It is true the Bible says that when we die the body returns to dust, and the spirit to God who gave it.  Again as we rightly divide the Word, we understand that the breath from God, or the spirit, is not the soul.  It takes the body, and the breath from God to make us a living soul.   Gen. 2:7.

(5)  Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.  (6)  Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: 

  • Given us the earnest of the Spirit.  Listen to Acts 5:32;  Peter said “God gives the Holy Spirit to those who obey Him.”
  • Paul told the Ephesians when he ask them if they had received the Holy Ghost, “unto what then were you baptized?”   You see we are baptized unto the receiving the Holy Ghost.  This is what produces eternal life in us.  Without the presence of the Holy Ghost in our lives, we do not possess eternal life.  The more you study, the better it gets.

(7)  (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 

  • Heb 11:1  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
  • Just think of the things we hope for, that we don’t see.  Our walk with God is by faith.

(8)  We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.  (9)  Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. 

  • 1Co 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
  • For us who will be alive at His return, we will just be changed, but for those who have died, and have returned to dust, God will put that body back together, and breathe the breath of life into it, they will be gloriously resurrected, and alive.
  • I often wondered what Jesus meant when He said, “he that believeth on me shall never die”,  that was a tough one until I just accepted the Word for what it says.  Christians that die in the Lord will just sleep until the resurrection, we will not taste of the second death which is to be cast into the lake of fire. 

(10)  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.  (11)  Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men;

  • I’ve always thought this was a very sobering thought.   We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. 
  • Paul said it like this in the Roman letter;  Rom 14:10  But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at naught thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.  
  • And if we are smart, we will cast ourselves at the mercy of the judge. 

but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.  (12)  For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart.  (13)  For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.  (14)  For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:  (15)  And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. 

  • Can you feel the sense of doing all we can for Him, because of what He did for us.  When we commune, do these thoughts come into our minds?  I want to be all I can for Him.

(16)  Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. 

  • Paul had before his conversion known Christ kata sarka, according to the standards of the men of his time, the Sanhedrin and other Jewish leaders. He had led the persecution against Jesus till Jesus challenged and stopped him (Act_9:4). That event turned Paul clean round and he no longer knows Christ in the old way kata sarka. Paul may or may not have seen Jesus in the flesh before his death, but he says absolutely nothing on that point here.

(17)  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 

  • We should be able to say AMEN to that statement.  Thanks be unto God for a new life, and a new chance in life.

(18)  And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;  (19)  To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 

  • How wonderful is that?  Many of us were experiencing the burden of sin in our lives, then we accepted that Jesus died for our sins, to forgive us, and bring us back to a good relationship with God Almighty.  Just how awesome is that? 
  • Without accepting, and receiving this reconciling work of Christ, you will have your part in the lake of fire. 

(20)  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us;

  • Paul is saying “we have the authority from God to offer this wonderful salvation to whomsoever will”. 

we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 

  • In the Name of Jesus, please accept this wonderful offer.  This is what Jesus would do if He were here.  Jesus prayed for all of us in the 17th chapter of St. Jn.  Read it sometime.

(21)  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

  • This is what is revealed to us, for our understanding.  God Almighty, the Eternal Spirit of love, allowed Jesus, the Word of God, the Son of God, to take the sins of the world on Himself.  Jesus had no sin, but became sin for us, that we might accept His atoning work on Calvary, and allow His righteous act, to make us righteous in the eyes of God Almighty.

 

SHOULDN’T WE DO OUR BEST FOR HIM?

 

OUR PRAYER;     LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, HELP US TO FULLY UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU HAVE MADE POSSIBLE FOR US THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD.    AMEN.