1068. Constrained by Christ’s Love

Welcome to The Daily Platform from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. Today on The Daily Platform, we're continuing a study series called Ministry According to Second Corinthians.

Today's speaker is Dr. Alan Benson. The title of his message is Constrained by Christ's Love from 2 Corinthians 5, 11-15. I was asked if I would have preached this section, and it actually is a section of Scripture that in ministry God has greatly used in my life. At times of throwing up your hands and saying, okay, what do I do next?

How can I figure this out? This is a passage of Scripture that is centering for me. How many of you are familiar with the name Simon Sinek? Anybody know that name? I think it's interesting that the guy has the name. He's a cynic. But anyway. He has coined a phrase, you know, it comes across different ways, but know your why.

Find your why. I really think that that's at the heart of this passage of Scripture. The passage that we're going to be in, really in verses 11 down through verse 15, is a couple of things. As I look at this passage, one, I want you to see it through the lens that I think Paul here is being very autobiographical. That Paul's going to say things in a general sense.

If all died, one died, all died, one lives, all live. I really think Paul, as he's addressing ministry here, particularly to the Corinthians, is speaking in terms of, he's actually speaking about himself. This is what is true of me. Secondly, I want you to see that I believe this passage is very Christological. Obviously, in the heart of this passage is something that's very familiar. The love of Christ constrains me. It's kind of in the heart of this passage. But he starts with another very strong statement at the beginning of the passage where he refers to the therefore or knowing then the fear of the Lord.

And if you look back and look at his use of the word Lord there, he's referring to Christ. And so, if you will, there's pulsing in this very short passage, Paul speaking for himself, and it's interesting when you look at the letters that Paul wrote, how often Paul ended up having to defend himself about what he was doing, and then most often about why he was doing what he was doing. Do you have an ulterior motive?

Is there something that you're after? Are you a gospel huckster? Is that what you are? And Paul is defending his motives. And I think here, Paul actually gets to the heart of his why. This is why Paul does what he does. This is why Paul ministers the way he ministers. And I think you're going to find pulsing in that, these two great truths, the fear of the Lord and the constraining love of Christ.

So, think with me for a moment, your theme, I love, I love the picture by the way, but the aroma of Christ. And one of the things I want us to get there is, is Paul is going to be motivated, and he's going to be motivated in a sense, by a swinging mic, he's going to be motivated in a sense by what motivated Christ. And we'll see that in this passage of scripture as he deals with kind of the Christological truth of what Christ did for us, and then why he ministers the way he ministers. And so, the aroma of Christ is throughout this passage, the whole passage, but it really is here in Paul's motivations. And so, asking ourselves, well, why did Christ, what was Christ's why? And so you think about different encounters that Christ had, I think in particular John 4, the disciples go away to find food, and they're focused on earthly needs, and we have the whole encounter with the woman at the well there in Samaria. When they return, they're like, did someone else feed him?

Did they get him food? Like, and Jesus says to them, I have meat to eat that you know not of, or there's something that fuels me, if you will, that you don't quite understand. And then he makes the statement about his relationship to his father. He says, I've come to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work.

Wow. God centered purpose for the Christ in what he was doing. And I think that then echoes as Paul embraced the ministry of Christ.

Philippians 2 is remarkable to me in so many ways. One, the fact that here we have this rich Christology, and it's actually just an illustration, right? Like Paul is writing this to capture a point. It's not actually the point, he's capturing a point, and he's using Christ. And what's remarkable to me as you consider the motivations of Christ and look at Philippians chapter 2, there Paul tells us what the motivations of Christ weren't. He thought it not robbery to be equal with God, so he wasn't grasping at something.

It wasn't self-focused in any way. And thus you have the whole rest of the kenosis explained for us in light of that incredible truth. So Paul is seemingly facing the constant task of having to defend himself against accusations, whether Philippi, those that preach Christ even of envy and strife, or the Hymenaeus and Alexanders of the world. And I think he reflects in this passage of scripture that he is motivated by that which motivates Christ. You know it's interesting as we consider ministry, all of us I think rightly would say somehow we're after influence. And it's to influence for a certain thing, to a certain direction in a certain way. Hopefully it's influence to accomplish Christ's likeness in people. We're all after influence, and the question I think we have to ask ourselves is how do I get influence?

The typical is that I get a position of authority, and from my authority I gain influence. It's so very interesting to me that that's not what Christ does. At times we have Paul writing, Paul an apostle, but most often you hear him say servant. He refers to himself most often in two ways, Christologically as in Christ, and secondly in ministry as doulos, as slave. And so he never just comes barking as a dog, as this loud voice, I've got this authority, and now that I've got your attention I'm gonna influence you.

He actually goes a very different direction. If there was a crowd, if there was a church that at which you would expect an apostolic bark, forgive the term, don't you agree with me that it would be Corinth? Like okay I've had it, like here it is, I'm just gonna tell you the way it is, right, and then you're gonna have to deal with it. And yet here in this second letter to them, multiple letters, but the one that we have recorded in scripture for us, you have Paul saying you know what, I'm gonna, I want to expose to you my heart for ministry. So let's read together. I'm in the ESV, 2 Corinthians chapter 5 beginning verse 11, therefore knowing the fear of the Lord we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it's known also to your conscience. We are not commending ourselves to you again by giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God. If we are in our right mind, it is for you. Notice, there is no third statement of it is for us, it is for me.

He actually looks other directions other than an egocentric look. Verse 14, 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, who for their sake died and was raised. I love that you see two expressions here on what Christ did for us that actually motivates us for and frees us to do ministry. And they are actually, what we see here is a vicarious substitutionary death, but you also see here a vicarious substitutionary resurrection. We don't often talk about vicarious resurrection, but that's what he expresses here.

That he rose in our place and thus as his death has implications for us in judgment, his resurrection has implications for us in life. It's a wonderful truth that actually ought to greatly motivate us for ministry. So, I really want us to see just a few simple points, three eyes if you will. I want you to see the impetus for ministry. In this opening statement, Paul is going to state I think two great values that you'll see then come up throughout the passage that drive him in ministry. And it's really simple, it's God and others.

It sounds really simple, but it really is God and others. And you'll lay them out throughout the rest of the passage. So I want you to see first of all, an awesome Lord knowing the fear of the Lord. This is one of those passages that it's easy to read. One translation translates this word fear as terror, and thus we get that and it's like oh, that's the sentiment of this passage.

And therefore it's like I've got to approach this as though man, I see what God's going to do and he's going to do it in judgment and that's terrifying and therefore that needs to motivate me to go tell others. I think that's a natural and I'm not here to totally debunk that, but when I look back at what he says just before this passage, notice what he says. Verse seven, for we walk by faith not by sight.

Yes, we are of good courage and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. And he makes that statement there, but what is Paul's tone in making it? Is he cringing about this, oh, one day I'm going to die and stand before God?

No, he said I'd rather be away from the body. So he mentions this judgment of Christ, but for him there's a coming reward. So I don't get the sense that as he comes to this very next section and saying, knowing the terror of God, I actually think there's something much more profound here. That yes, he is rightly recognizing that Christ is judge, but there's a sense in which that motivates me to live for him because he's the judge, he's a righteous judge, he's a good judge, he's a just judge, he's a holy judge, he's a loving judge, and yet he's a judge. And so I look at the language that he uses here and he uses these terms of passionate, intimate understanding, having known to be cognizant of or aware of in an intimate way. It's in a sense then coupled with this idea of fear, which is a feeling of profound respect. And I think what Paul is expressing is that I have come to the place through personal interaction and intimate knowledge of Christ, that I know what kind of judge that he is, and I am longing for other people to respect him that way.

I think what Paul is going to lay out for us here is that his knowledge of his God burned in his heart in such a way that he wanted other people to have that knowledge of his God, and thus in a sense, respect his God that way. Friends, we ought to look on a broken world. We ought to look on broken people. We ought to look at times at broken church members. And our heart ought to break with the sense of saying, the way you are living is contrary to who I know your God to be.

And I want you to live in a way that actually reflects him in honor and in respect. He's a good God. And so Paul is motivated somehow to help people know this God, know Christ, the way he has come to know him.

He's motivated by that. I don't think he is going to spread a message of terror or fear, which is so interesting. Because remember where Paul came from. Remember what Paul's view of God would have been as a Pharisee. Remember his understanding of religion and then remember what he was doing as a persecutor in light of that. Remember he's still breathing out slaughters and fears.

He was actually a terrorist. And I think here he's expressing something very different with regard to motivation for ministry. So I ask you this question. As you consider ministry, do you know Christ? Maybe a better question is how do you know Christ? Is it personal?

Is it intimate? Have you experienced him? Are you like Paul saying, you know what? I'm looking forward to one day, though I'm not perfect, sitting before one that is that good and that just and that righteous.

And you know what? I've experienced in my own life the freedom of forgiveness. I've come to understand that when we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us of all our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Paul has an ongoing relationship with this one that he has come to profoundly love and respect. And he wants others to come to know him too and it motivates him then for ministry.

How can I help them know God? And so an awesome Lord, but then secondly, an awesome responsibility. We persuade others. The word that he uses here I find to be really interesting. It's used in a number of ways, but really at its core it is really an approach to conversation that would cause somebody to adopt a certain position.

And it actually is a present active indicative, very common, but it actually is describing a regular habit or an ongoing pursuit or if you will, a pattern of life. Paul is saying that what I do in ministry is marked by a pattern of life of persuading others. And I think when you consider then the way that he is presenting that here, Paul I don't think is saying I'm living my life to win the argument. I really don't know that the emphasis in his usage here is that I'm becoming an apologist. As much as he is talking about his demeanor and the way that he interacts with people and it has this sense of pathos and it is almost a pleading. I plead with others. And so in a sense what he's doing is presenting his interactions with people as I want them to know, love and respect Christ and the way I'm going to do that is I'm going to interact with them on the horizontal plane in a way that comes across as pleading.

Now I'm not begging, that's not what he's saying, but it's a heartfelt relationship with people that wants to lead them to a convincing of what it is he wants them to do. This is not autocratic. It is not heavy handed.

It is not top down. It is not I know more than you and I'll win the argument because of that then I'll convince you and you have no choice. This is actually Paul describing his methodology or approach in ministry as one who because of a relationship with God is going to pursue right relationships with people to see them rightly related with God. Friends, that's ministry. That's ministry.

It is in the context of relationships. It starts with a relationship with an awesome Lord and it then grows out through a responsibility to help others come into a right relationship with him. That's really what it's about and so you see the impetus for ministry, but then secondly I want you to see the integrity for ministry. It'd be really easy to get a lot of things out of whack if all this was was do something to convince people.

Just plead with them. Do whatever it takes, but Paul says there's boundaries on that and so look what he says in verse 11. Knowing the fear of the Lord we persuade others, but what we are is known to God and I hope it is known also to your conscience we're not committing ourselves to you again, but giving you cause to boast about us so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. So Paul very clearly here is going to talk about some sense of integrity. He mentions the conscience. He talks about being known to God which again is going to be contrary maybe somewhat to the outward appearance and valuing what is in the heart and so integrity for ministry.

I want you to see the heart of the matter or the matter of the heart. What we are is known to God and the issue of what is in the heart. Friends if we're going to do ministry in a way that what people smell when it's done is Christ, this matters.

I will tell you it's very, very easy to do professional ministry to check all the boxes, to be fantastic all the way down to elocution, to have all of the X's and O's in the right place, to rightly manage, organize, administrate a church. It's easy to do all of those, it's not easy, but it's possible to do all of those things and not have this right. Sadly we have a life that now reflects some of that don't we? I'm not Ravi Zacharias' judge, but there was something wrong with the heart. And I can tell you case after case after case after case of men that when they fell you said what? And then if you actually think about what has happened in their life and you think over maybe six months or over a year or over two years, one of the things that blows my mind I always have to go away and get along with the Lord and say God am I even beginning some of that like am I detached from ministry and doing it?

But it's not in my heart. Like how did they do the things they did? How did they preach the messages they preached? How did they counsel the way that they counseled?

Like they're doing marriage counseling and all these things and that's what was going on in their life? God how could you do that? All I'm saying to you this morning is this, know this, it can be done and it shouldn't be done.

And no matter what the human horizontal plane fruit of that may be I'm just here to tell you it is fruitless. If God changes a life out of that it is because of the miraculous work of God working in spite of a broken sinning servant. Friends I don't want God to have to work in spite of me when I pursue ministry. This is the heart of Paul. He says what we are is known to God.

Think with me if you will. Back to the psalmist. He cries out search me oh God and know my heart.

Try me and know my thoughts and see if there'd be any wicked way in me. An amazing cry it ought to be the cry of all of our hearts God search me and know me. You go to the end of that psalm and he says a remarkable thing he says oh God you have searched me and known me.

Like so wait a minute like God search me and then God you've done it. And something is going on in between and I think what is happening is there's this reconciliation that is happening that is saying God I know you know me. I know you see me. But God what I'm begging for you is will you show me the me that you see. Because I want to be right with you. That ought to be the heart cry of a minister. That ought to be our passion for integrity.

God I want to see me the way you see me so that I can change to be what I ought to be. It's a matter of the heart. But then I want you to see then the motivation verse 13 is such an interesting verse to me. For if we are beside ourselves I think you know what that means right.

We'd use the word out of your mind or crazy or whatever so we're crazy. Some question that for me. It is for God.

If we are in our right mind it is for you. And I believe that Paul is expressing rather than some kind of dichotomy here. Paul is expressing his values. He says I'm going to serve God with integrity and leave the results in his hand. And if that is construed that I've lost my mind then I'll accept that appraisal for God's glory. I'm not going to change the things I do to be thought better of. I'm not going to change the things that I know God is asking me to do in ministry so that maybe it'll change your opinion of me.

I'm not going to do that. And if in doing ministry the way God has called me to do it it's a praise that somehow I am profitable or I am brilliant. What I want you to know is that I want God to use that for your benefit not for my own accolades. It's all heart for God and others that's what he's reflecting. I want to live in such a way that if people think I'm crazy it'll be because I'm living for God.

The one that I want people to respect and if they look and see it in any way is profitable I want them to realize that it's all being done to benefit others for God's glory. It drives me. That's the motivation. And so that brings us then to the third point. And that's the influence for ministry. And we have this famous well known statement for the love of Christ constrained or controls us.

And it does so for a very profound concrete reason. Paul has become convinced of something. We have concluded this that one has died for all therefore all have died. And so I believe really this is autobiographical. While I think there's profound truth here just in exploring Christology I think this is autobiographical.

And what Paul is saying is I'm saying this to you about ministry because I don't have any rights. Christ died and here again maybe this sentiment of I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live. Yet not I but Christ lives in me and the life which I now live in the flesh.

By the way it's not saying that that was carnal flesh. Just in life. The real life that I live. The everyday life that I live.

The task that I have to do. The life which I now live in the flesh. I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. And what he is saying is as I come to life and ministry and living for this God I've come to know it's not about me. I'm convinced of something. I have concluded something as I look at life and ministry. That Jesus died for all. And I have died in him.

I don't have rights. Verse 15 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. So now I have life. But the sense is whose life is it? And so first of all I see the control if you will. This phrase the love of Christ controls me. I think Paul is here giving a reason for his method of ministry that he had given us in verses 11 through 13. He's convinced of this theological truth and because of that here's the conclusion that I have made. And it binds me.

And whenever I actually go through the process obviously there's a mental process here right? He's coming to a conclusion. He's thinking through things and he's making decisions about how to do ministry and he says here's the conclusion I've made. Christ did this for me.

I died in him. I don't have rights. And I think he's making this an active process. As I think about what I'm going to do I bring it back to that quotient. They said this about me and I am thinking this and here's what I want to do as I sit down at my computer and write an email.

Let me take that for a minute plug it back into my formula. Oh I don't have rights. And my goal is that I want them to respect God the way that I have. I want them to love Christ the way I love them and therefore my approach to them is going to be the sense of appealing because it's not about me.

Maybe I better change that email. I mean I think Paul is really coming down to the brass tacks. It doesn't mean Paul made himself a doormat. It doesn't mean that Paul told less than the truth. I'm not saying any of that but it might impact why I say what I say. In other words Paul is never going to enter into a conversation and say okay I have handed up to here with you so now.

Though all of us are tempted. Paul says there's something way more important than that. And that for me that would be my Moses moment where I strike the rock. Instead of making about God the way it was supposed to be about the people look and it somehow was about me.

I'll just tell you as a shepherd that's really easy to do. This is control that's coming out of a conclusion that in a sense I'm going to take this back and I'm going to plug it in all the time. Wait a minute should I? Yeah no I probably shouldn't because I don't think it's going to be received the right way. I don't think they'll see Jesus the way they should see Jesus. I think maybe they might see me more than they should see me and because of that it'll blur Jesus. Or maybe sometimes I'm going to give an impression about Jesus that really isn't just.

And thus I think he comes to the end and he speaks them with his confidence. Can I really do that? Like won't I get run over? I do that when I get killed and ministered. People are going to take advantage of it. People are wicked and evil and ministry is hard and I'll make myself a doormat and then I'll be a doormat that's all I'll be. And I would say that all of that was true if it weren't for the fact that we're actually serving somebody who is a just judge.

And you know what? The rewards for ministry aren't coming from the people you serve. That's not what it's about.

It's actually about the one I'm doing ministry for. And so look again at the end of this passage verse 15. And he died for all that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him. And what does he say about them?

Who for their sake died and was raised. And so I ask you this question. Do you trust him? All that we have to offer in ministry is that truth and it's offered first to you. And if you minister to bring glory to him and he did that much for you, don't you trust him?

He'll care for you. Remember what the Scriptures say in several places. But it says of Christ in that kenosis passage, remember at the end of it there, wherefore God has highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name. There's Christ. But also it says, Paul says that he is the one that will lift us up. In other words, work at helping people rightly know Christ and honor him.

And you won't ever have to worry about them respecting you. God will take care of that. So the aroma of Christ I think flows through this passage of Scripture. How can I help people when I'm done ministering, smell Jesus? I think that's what Paul is telling us here with regard to his ministry. You've been listening to a message preached in Seminary Chapel by Dr. Alan Benson, Executive Vice President for Ministry Advancement at Bob Jones University, which was part of the series Ministry According to 2 Corinthians. Join us again tomorrow as we continue this series on The Daily Platform.