Message of the Week

The Little White Community Church

Scripture: II Cor. 5: 11-15 May 19, 2024

Message: “Total Commitment!”

by Pastor George Gnade

Intro.: 1. As most of you know, we are doing a series of messages on the book of II Corinthians, and today we are considering II Cor. 5:11-15.

2. This letter that Paul wrote to the church at Corinth is one of the most personal letters that Paul ever wrote. In this letter he continually shares his own problems and how his hardships affected him.

a. In II Cor. 1:8-11, he shares an experience he had in Asia where he came extremely close to death, causing him to despair of life itself.

b. Then in II Cor. 1: 12-24, he shares a conflict he had with the church in Corinth and how it deeply upset him. He went on to explain how he often felt overwhelmed by his apostolic duties, feeling incompetent in and of himself to preach a message that was like a “smell of death to the lost but a fragrant odor of life” for those who responded to God’s good news.

c. Apart from the grace and help of the Holy Spirit, no one is competent for such a task. But when Christ shines in us and through us through the anointing of the Spirit, there is no limit to what God can do.

3.  Then in II Cor. 4: 1, he described himself as a jar made of clay, filled with God’s hidden treasure. He explains how these “earthen vessels” are “wasting away” but inwardly we “are being renewed every day.” That is true of us as well.

a. Outwardly we are not much to look at, but inwardly we have a lot to offer. Jesus is our treasure!

b. So what can be seen is temporary and passing away, but what God promises to those who believe cannot be seen, but is eternal.

A. That brings us to the passage we are studying today. Let’s begin with what Paul called “the fear of the Lord!”

1. Even though we are promised a new home in heaven that will never pass away, in II Cor. 5: 10, we are also warned that “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ” so that “each one ( of us) may receive what is due him for the things done in the body, whether good or bad.”

a. In this context, vs. 11 says: “Therefore, since we know what it is to fear the Lord, we persuade men.”

b. In Prov. 1: 7, Solomon wrote: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” 

2. Too many people do not take their relationship to God seriously. Jesus Himself warned us that “many will say ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not enter into the kingdom of heaven because they did not do the will of my Father in heaven.”

a. Confessing our sins and asking Jesus into our hearts is a wonderful way to receive God’s gift of eternal life. But after we make such a commitment, our lives should begin to show the difference. It is not a game.

b. We are not saved by the good works we do to show we love the Lord, but the changes we make for Jesus do show that we love and respect Him. 

c. If Jesus is truly in your heart, then the presence of the Holy Spirit in us should be like a powerful light bulb that shines in us and through us.

3. In plain words, a true Christian has a deep respect and love for Christ. When we stand before His throne, He will reward us according to what we have done for Him.

a. I like the way Paul put it in Philippians 2: 12-13. “As you have always obeyed… continue to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for God is at work in you both to will and do of His good pleasure.”

b. So a true Christian is not only saved by the grace of God, but even the good things we do for Him are done because He is at work in our lives. So listening to the Holy Spirit in your heart is very important and should always be taken seriously. Paul took it seriously.

B. In II Cor. 5: 13, he wrote: “If we are out of our minds, it is for the sake of God. If we are in our right mind, it is for you…”

1. When the Lord Jesus began His public ministry, He worked so hard and drew so many people to Him that His family thought he was crazy (Mark 3:21). 

a. As Paul worked hard and gave it all he had, some thought he was crazy.

b. It is not at all unusual when a person is saved and suddenly begins to live for Jesus and seems almost con-sumed by it for people to think they have gone too far. 

c. Knowing what Christ had done for him, Paul was willing to give it all he had, even if some thought he was crazy.  If he really was crazy, he was crazy for the sake of Christ.

2. But Paul, in his heart, knew he was not crazy. He was just crazy over Jesus. And once people took him seriously and realized he was not crazy, then the Holy Spirit would reveal to those who cared that he was in his right mind. And as Paul put it, “If we are in our right minds, it is for you! For the love of God compels us.”

a. Called by Jesus to serve Him as an apostle to the Gentiles, nothing could stop Paul from giving it all he had.

b. In II Cor. 5: 14, it says: “For the love of God compels us because we are convinced that One man died for all (who will believe in Him), and therefore, all died. And He died for all (who love Him) that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised from the dead.”

3. Notice the commitment! Notice the urgency! Consider the cost! I already mentioned some of Paul’s hardships. Please read II Cor. 6:3-30 for a clearer picture of the depth of his commitment.

a. “As servants of God, we commend ourselves in every way…through hardships and distresses, in beatings and imprisonment…, in hard work, sleepless nights, hunger, …. patience and kindness,… through glory and dishonour, good reports and bad reports, genuine yet regarded as imposters,  dying yet we live on, beaten but not killed, sorrowful  yet always rejoicing, poor yet making many rich; having nothing and yet possessing everything.”

b. Paul went through all of that for the sake of Christ and the furtherance of the gospel. That is what I call a deep commitment, a willingness to pay the price so many might come to know the Lord.

In Conclusion: 1. How deep is our commitment? What price are we willing to pay? As a child growing up in my home church, invitations were often given, not just to come and accept Christ, but to come and make a deep and lasting commitment to Christ.

2.  Don’t ever forget the price Jesus paid for us upon the cross. Don’t forget the price the apostles paid! Every one of them died a martyr’s death, rather than deny the Lord or the truth of the gospel.

3.  What God asks of us is simply stated in II Cor. 5: 14-15.  Write it down. Memorize it. Above all, live by it. “For Christ’s love compels me because we are convinced that One Man died for all, and therefore all died (in Him). He died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who loved them and gave Himself for them.” 

4. May God bless all of us as we do our best to live for Jesus.  Amen.