The Table California
The Table is a church family in Arroyo Grande, California. Our desire is to give Jesus His desire...a house where He can be Himself with His family. This podcast hosts the weekly teachings from our Sunday evening gatherings and occasionally supplemental conversations throughout the week.
The Table California
Jesus Died For Love
Dove-tailing off of last weeks message, we take a closer look at the profound truths found in 2 Corinthians 5; in Christ, we are restored to our original design. We also examine the reason that Jesus became sin so that we would become the righteousness of God. Did Jesus die for sin...or for love?
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All right, darling, we miss you already. We're going to be looking at 2 Corinthians 5. We're going to be in a few different places, but 2 Corinthians 5 is a good starting point. It's good to see you, brother. 2 Corinthians, chapter 5. I'm not going to be long today because it feels a little chilly and all God's people said Amen, so I'll probably only be about an hour and a half an hour and maybe 40. That's beautiful. He's got jokes.
Speaker 1:Last week we talked who remembers what we talked about last week? Righteousness and wholeness and something else, wow. Hope, very good. Righteousness, holiness and whole Very good, very good, wow, okay. Yeah, we talked about righteousness, thank you, titus. We talked about holiness, okay Now. And being whole, that's right. I don't want to give too long of a pop quiz, but I'll just make the statements instead of doing a pop quiz for the sake of time.
Speaker 1:The kind of the thesis for last week was if you believe that Jesus is who he says he is, if you're born again again, then you are as righteous as Jesus, you are as holy as Jesus. And remember, we, we, we took inventory. Okay, how does that make you feel when I make such a bold statement like that to make you uncomfortable. We talk through what does it mean to be righteous? It doesn't mean to be in right standing with God. It means to be restored back to your original design. We said, okay, what does it mean to be holy? Holy does not mean to be without sin, as most of us have been taught. Holy means to be completely unique, unlike anything else. For example, if we worship God in song, we say you are so holy, we're not saying you are so sinless, we're saying there's none like you. You are absolutely distinct in every way. And then God turns around and looks at us and says you are so holy, remain that way, choose to be distinct. So then step two would be don't do anything sin that causes you to dilute your uniqueness. That contaminates your other than-ness.
Speaker 1:We had lots of different scriptures that we looked at. One of the main ones is we're going to look at it again today 2 Corinthians 5, 21. I would encourage you to go back and listen to that message If you haven't yet. It is a foundational message to the culture of this church family, knowing who we are in Christ. All right, I just want to read through 2 Corinthians 5,. I'll begin in verse 14, and then today's going to be a little bit more of a discussion format as opposed to more of a preaching format.
Speaker 1:2 Corinthians 5,. I'll begin in verse 14 and we'll read through the end of the chapter. The love of Christ compels us, controls, consumes, dominates, seizes, rules over, presses against us. The love of Christ compels us because we judge thus If one died for all, then all died, and he died for all, so that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for him who died for them and rose again. There's that surrender thing that we touched on during worship he died for all, so those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died and rose again. Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh, even though we have known Christ according to the flesh.
Speaker 1:If you want to dig deep down into that verse, pastor Jad Bohai, he can explain to you what verse 16 means Verse 17. Praise Jesus forever. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. How many things Come on, man. All things, little Greek lesson, the Greek word that we translate all. It means all. All things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled we're going to talk about that word as well. He is who has reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself.
Speaker 1:Where was the father when Jesus was on the cross In Christ, reconciling the world to himself? You can't tell me that the father turned his back on the son. That's not what this message is about, but I can't read through this and not point that out. God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself. He never left the son, not for a moment, which means he will never leave you, not for a moment. I know that's a hot button issue. We can talk about the details of that later if you want to, but I feel pretty passionate about this. God was in Christ. Where was the father when Jesus was talking to the woman caught in adultery In Christ, reconciling that woman to himself? Where was the father when Jesus was putting his hands on the leper in Christ, reconciling that man to himself. Not imputing, not counting their wrongdoings against them, is committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now, then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were now pleading through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.
Speaker 1:Here's the payoff verse For he made him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us. This is scandalous, man. You can't tell me that this gospel is something that man came up with. Man would not write something like this. The God that we worship became sin Scandalous. He made him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us. Jesus didn't sin that's heresy but he became sin. He took on sin. He bore in himself and in his sacrifice the weight of all of our sin. He made him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, so that we would become the righteousness of God in Christ. That's why it's illegal for you to think something about yourself that Jesus doesn't think about you. You are now righteous, anne-marie. See how many times I can trip over that today. I'm going to do that so I don't fall. It's illegal for you to think something about yourself that Jesus doesn't think about you. All right, so let's look at some of these verses here, beginning in verse 14 and 15,.
Speaker 1:The love of Christ controls us. Having concluded this, that one died for all. Thank you for pointing that out, john. All, therefore all, died, and he died for all. Thank you for pointing that out, john. All, therefore, all died and he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him, who died and rose on their behalf. This is born again language. You are now dead. The walking dead. How's that definition of a church? The community of the walking dead? This is born again language.
Speaker 1:If you believe that Jesus is who he says he is and that he died for all, then, friend, you have died. You have died. You died to everything that once controlled you. So paul says now the love of christ controls me. Before religion controlled me, being right controlled me, chasing, but now the love of Christ controls me. The word for control is sinece. Say sinece, sinece. Sinece means to control, to compel, to seize, to rule over, to dominate, to surround over, to dominate, to surround, to press against. It's a violent word, it's an aggressive word. Paul's not saying yeah, I just sit back and I soak in the presence of Jesus. He is consumed by the love of Jesus.
Speaker 1:Verse 15 doesn't say that Jesus let me read verse 15 again real quick he died for all so that those who live would no longer live for themselves. Verse 15 doesn't say that Jesus died for all so that, when we die, we can go to heaven someday. Jesus didn't die so that we could just go to heaven someday. Jesus died so that we can live. So he says he died for all so that those who live would no longer live for themselves. He died so that you would live for him. Remember the things that used to control you no longer do, the things that you used to live for you. No longer do. You live for Him, amen. And to live for Him means that you are now controlled by the very thing that brought Jesus to the cross. Okay, I'm getting ready to make a bold statement. You don't have to answer out loud, but just to yourself.
Speaker 1:Answer this question why did Jesus die on the cross? Just think about it for a minute. Why did Jesus die? Jesus didn't die for sin. Jesus died for love. Jesus died for love. Jesus wasn't compelled to the cross by sin. Jesus was compelled by love. The eradication of sin didn't press against Jesus and propel him to the cross. Love did. Welcome, brother.
Speaker 1:John 3, 16 doesn't say for God so despised sin that he gave his only son. It says for God so loved the world that he gave his only son, jesus, didn't die for sin. He didn't die for the eradication of sin, he died for love. Now, was the forgiveness of sin accomplished? Yes, was there something that needed to be done that only he could do? Yes, absolutely. But that's not what compelled him. That's not what motivated him. Love did. There are massive implications to this.
Speaker 1:I'm going to give an analogy. When I asked Lindsay to marry me, she was single. That was her identity a single woman. I didn't ask her to marry me because she was single. I asked her to marry me because I loved her. Now, did that engagement accomplish her moving from being a single person to now being married? Yes, that was what was accomplished by the engagement, but that wasn't the motivation. The motivation was love. I have to be with her. When Jesus died on the cross, the annihilation of sin was accomplished, but the motivator was accomplished, but the motivator, the foundation that he stood on. What compelled him was love.
Speaker 1:I'm going to read some scripture verses to you, because some of you look like you're a little skeptical, a little hesitant to buy into the Kumbaya Jesus died for love slogan. Dominic's like man. I just got here, it's my first time. I don't even know a man that's preaching. I'm going to prove it. I've got seven verses. Okay, romans 5, 8.
Speaker 1:God demonstrates his own love toward us and that, while we were still sinners, christ died for us. What's he demonstrating? His hatred of sin, his love for us, by doing what? Dying for the sinners who are still enemies. But he's demonstrating his love. First, john 3, 16,. By this we know love. He laid down his life for us. Why did he lay down his life for us? In so doing, forgiveness, salvation was accomplished. But why did he lay down his life? Because of love for us. 1 John 4.10. This is love, not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the exchange for our sins. What was accomplished? There was an exchange that took place my sin for your life. Why? Because of love. This is love. Anne-marie's getting it. If nothing else, anne-marie is getting it.
Speaker 1:Galatians 2.20. Galatians 2.20. The life that I now live in the flesh. I live by faith in the Son of God, who hated my sins so much he had to do something about it. No, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me. And because of that love, what did he do? He gave himself for me Ephesians 5, 2. Walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God. Two more Ephesians 5, 25. Husbands, love your wives just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for her. One more Ephesians 2, 4 through 7. But God, who is rich in mercy because of his great love, with which he loved us even when we were dead in our trespasses, he made us alive together with Christ, and he raised us up together and caused us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ, so that in the ages to come, he might show the exceeding riches of his grace and kindness towards us, aimed at whatever hinders love. That is not my own statement, it's someone else's, but it's a good one. Jesus didn't die for sin, he died for love. One more example in case any of you are skeptical If, when we were living in the Middle East, if ISIS ever came and took Lindsay, I would punch them.
Speaker 1:I would punch them right in the nose. If they ever came and took Lindsay, I would move heaven and earth to get her back. Nothing would stand in my way. Why? Because she's lost, because I love her. Now, is she lost? Is she kidnapped? Her current identity would be that of a lost person, a kidnapped individual. But I'm not going to go move heaven and earth and find her because, oh, she's lost, she needs to be found. Oh, it's love that is moving me to put myself in harm's way. For the sake of the one that I love, nothing is going to stand in the way of a man or a woman or a God in love.
Speaker 1:Have I made my point? I hope so, man. I hope so. What's that? The banner over us is love, amen, amen. He died because he loved us. Back to 2 Corinthians 5. Verse 17 says therefore, what's the? Therefore? Therefore, because he loves us, he gave himself for us and we're now born again. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, the new things have come. That's born again, language again.
Speaker 1:Lindsay and I have been talking a lot about how important it is to be born again. That sounds simple, but I think we take for granted the fact that we could brush up against something like the gospel over and over and over. We can be raised in a Christian home. We could go to church every Sunday, we could read our Bibles, but not actually be born again. Are you born again? Have you given your life? Have you surrendered? Have you said no to the old man and yes to Jesus? Have you been born again? I would encourage you to ask yourself that question. Take it to Jesus in prayer and say God, I must know that I am born again, that I'm brand new, that I'm a new creation. I don't want to just have the right language, I don't want to just hang out with the people who don't cuss anymore. I have to be brand new and I have to know it.
Speaker 1:If you walked out on that road right now and you got smacked by a truck, you would know it. There'd be a change that took place. In the same way, if you have an encounter with the living, all-consuming fire of God, there's going to be a change that takes place. There's going to be some evidence that there was a death, that it's a crime scene. Verse 17 is born-again language. Verse 17 is born again language.
Speaker 1:We have been in the language of I believe damon thompson said this we gened. We have new genes. We have new dna. Now we've received a blood transfusion from the lamb. I no longer have adam's blood flowing in my veins. I've got the lamb of god's blood flowing in my veins. I've got the name of God's blood flowing in my veins. I've been recoded. It's a new DNA structure that's inside of me. I no longer have a gravitational pull toward the things that I used to. That's a downward spiral. It's the gravity of this world that pulls sinners down. We have an upward draft that calls us up into heavenly places. We've been regened. What we were has passed away and we are now reborn into a new image, the image and likeness of God.
Speaker 1:I have two verses I want to read to you, because I haven't read enough scripture 2 Peter 1, 3-4. The point I want to make with these two verses is we no longer have Adam's sin nature now controlling us. Jesus and his spirit and the new birth now defines us and controls us. Does that make us perfect? Do I mind repeating it? We no longer have Adam's sin nature inside of us, meaning that my gravitational pull is how I picture it is towards sin. Now, because we've been reborn in the image of God, our propensity, our gravitational pull is towards I'm getting ready to say a strong word perfection, but it's in the Bible. The Greek word is thalios Maturity, perfection, completeness, wholeness, like we talked about last week, being righteous, actually living holy. Okay, I have two verses. I want to read them. I'm going to prove it to you Now.
Speaker 1:Listen, I know this is a topic, this specific topic, christians have been arguing about for 2000 years. I get it. Do we have a sin nature, do we not? I get it. I'm just letting you know where I stand on the issue and I'm going to give you a couple of verses. We don't have to agree on everything. I'm cool with that. I hope you are. I feel strong about this. I'm going to. Yeah, here we go. 2 Peter 1, 3-4.
Speaker 1:His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness. That's not even the point that I'm making. What a statement. His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness. So I'll pause for a second. You kids are doing awesome. I know we've been in here for a while now and I've just been talking and talking using big words that you probably don't understand, but you guys are awesome. Thank you for being so awesome.
Speaker 1:His divine power has granted us everything pertaining to life and godliness through the true knowledge of him, who called us by his own glory and excellence. This is the money verse here. Through these things he has granted to us his precious and magnificent promises so that by them you would be become. You would become partakers of the divine nature. We talked about this at Bible study on Friday morning. If this verse wasn't in the Bible it would be heresy. We have become partakers of the divine nature.
Speaker 1:I don't claim to understand all the implications of that. Where I land on this verse is I don't want to dumb it down to where something I can understand. I come across a verse like this and I ask God, call me up into that identity Like call me up into the mystery of what it means to partake of the divine nature. The word partake is actually koinonia. Koinonia is what we do here every week. It's communion, it's fellowship, it's receiving, it's partaking in. We've become koinonia of the divine nature. Nature means species or kind Again, born again, language, brand new, regened, recoded no longer in Adam, in Christ.
Speaker 1:Old has passed away, the new has come. We've received a new nature. Ephesians 4, 22-24. Rid yourselves of the old self, the old man which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you are to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, it's repentance. Be renewed in the spirit of your minds Verse 24, and put on the new self which has been created in the likeness of God, in true righteousness and holiness. You've been recreated in the likeness of God, in true righteousness and holiness. This is Bible. Man, it's Bible. What does it mean to be recreated in the image of God? I go back to Genesis 1, 26. Hey, I've got an idea. Let's make man in our image and our likeness. That's what being reborn restores us back to that Genesis 1.26 design. This is righteousness. Oh, almost tripped over it. Yeah right, this is righteousness. Oh, almost tripped over it. Put on the new self, which has been created in the likeness of god and true righteousness and holiness.
Speaker 1:I think I'm going to stop here. I just want to point out one thing paul put on the new self meaning there is a responsibility that we have in this equation. Like this isn't just go to the altar, cry some tears, say a prayer and bam, you're the image of God. He says no, it's available to you now. Like the clothes are in the closet but you got to put them on. Like you've got to walk worthy of this call. And this is where I think some of the teaching of what I'm saying, the love of God, this righteousness and holiness. It can get lazy Like so. I just sit around and do nothing. No, read your Bible. I just sit around and do nothing. No, read your Bible. There is now a responsibility that we have to walk worthy of his sacrifice. Put on the new man, put to death the deeds of the flesh, the way that we talked about it on Friday morning. It was so good man, I really enjoyed our time Friday. That was sweet.
Speaker 1:The old man is constantly screaming at us. I know who you really are, I know what you did. We've got our experiences that are screaming at us. We've got our childhood and trauma that is screaming at us. You're not righteous, you're not holy. We've got the world trying to re-identify us and then we have the still small voice of the Spirit of God saying you're holy, you're righteous, walk worthy, walk worthy, walk worthy. So it doesn't come cheap.
Speaker 1:This is what it means to become mature, to grow in who we actually are. Remember we said last week I'm going to close with this that always gave me a fresh wind to finish line when I was a kid, when the preacher would say I'm almost finished. Who we are, if you're in Christ, if you're born again, is a son of God, a daughter of God, righteous, holy, forgiven, filled with the spirit of God, reborn, receiving his likeness and his divine nature. And the same way, when I was born I was a son. The moment I was born to my parents, I was their son. I don't grow in sonship, I grow in maturity. I grow in understanding of what it means to be my father's son. When I got saved, I didn't receive a little bit of salvation. I received a lot of salvation, an eternity's worth of salvation. And now I have the privilege to spend the rest of my days discovering what it means to actually be a son of God. That's what it means to grow in maturity.
Speaker 1:That's what Paul is constantly exhorting the churches to do Grow You're on milk, you should be on meat. Grow Mature. Become who you actually are. That's good language there. Become who you actually are. So I'd encourage you read through 2 Corinthians, 5, 14 through 21,. Slowly, prayerfully, in the spirit, and ask God to lead you into some of the deep mysteries that Paul is unloading there, if you want these verses I know you asked for verses last week. I know I throw out a lot of verses. I put them all up on the website under sermon notes. They're all on there, all of my notes, all the script references, they're all on there. Study these things on your own, don't take.
Speaker 1:I'm going to close with this Jude says in Jude 20 and 21, and then 24 and 25, he says this now to you, passionately loved by God build yourself up on your most holy faith. So there's that exhortation grow mature, move forward, build yourself up on your most holy faith. You're standing on a foundation that says I know who I am because I know who he tells me I am. Build yourself up in your most holy faith. Pray in the Holy Spirit, keep yourself in the love of God. Man, what an encouragement and exhortation.
Speaker 1:Don't leave that place of first love. Keep yourself in the love of God, eagerly expecting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And then in verse 24, and then in verse 24, now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling. How do I remain sinless, white, knuckling my way through this life? Nope, he's able to keep me from stumbling. Now to him who is able to keep me from stumbling, and to him who is able to cause me to stand blameless in the presence of his glory with exceedingly great joy. My goodness man, he's able to cause you to stand blameless in the presence of his glory with exceedingly great joy. To the only God, our Savior. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, be glory and majesty and power and dominion, both now and forever. Amen. So good, so good, so good, so good. Are there any? We got a couple minutes for questions. Any questions or comments? We'll keep it brief. Any questions or comments or contributions? Yes, ma'am, all my life. I thought let's close in prayer, then we can eat. Amen.
Speaker 1:Thank you, jesus, lord, thank you for this great gospel that we have. Lord, man could never conceive of a gospel like this. Thank you that your ways are so far above our ways. Thank you for your love, thank you for your sacrifice, thank you for the victory that we now have over the flesh and over our old nature. God, we love you. Holy Spirit, give us the grace to walk worthy of these things. Lord, take us to the deep places of truth. Holy Spirit, guide us into all truth.
Speaker 1:Thank you, jesus and Lord. Like we prayed during worship, give us the grace to surrender, a complete abandonment to you, a complete surrender, lord, if there's anything in our hearts that's still holding on to the old man, the old ways. God, I ask for a complete surrender. Baptize us in surrender, speak over us again who we are. Call us up higher. Thank you, living God. Lord, now, as we move to the table, thank you for this opportunity to break bread together as a family. Lord, we ask that you would be revealed to us in the breaking of bread. It's who you are. Thank you, jesus. Thank you for everyone who contributed to this meal. We're so grateful for them. We bless them, lord. Thank you for this time together in Jesus name, amen.