Sunday Sermon | The Ministry of Reconciliation | 2 Corinthians | Part 9

Please join us as Pastor Patrick Joyner continues the series on 2 Corinthians. 2 Corinthians 5:11-21. Our attention may be drawn to three primary themes in this passage. First is the fear of the Lord; the centerpiece of what compels Paul to confidently go forward in Christ. The fear of God must have more to do with God’s people than simply that He doesn’t care what we do and loves us no matter what. The reality is that redemption in Christ results in a new creation, a noticeable change. Are we concerned about the Father’s displeasure of our own sinfulness even though we are redeemed? If we feel a sense of freedom in our sinfulness, then we have misunderstood and diminished the love of Christ and the fear of the Lord because it is not acting as a counterbalance for a holy life.Second, Christ’s love for the redeemed. Paul’s understanding of Christ’s love for him enables Paul to holdfast, stay on task, and to endure all things. The Lord’s joy in His people is our strength. Paul recognized that the Lord Jesus died for him. He died for you. We become inclined to diminish the gift and life of Christ if we think of our redemption in unbiblical terms, as an abstract mass of people; but redemption is very personal. If we don’t view the love of Christ in a personal way, it could never counterbalance a life of faithfulness. The love of Christ compels us. It changes us. We are a new creation. We no longer look at people according to the flesh and a right understanding of this will change the way we act.Thirdly, the glory of new life through being reconciled to Christ. When one becomes a new creation in Christ, everything around them will also change. A life in Christ is a constant source of blessing and encouragement. God is pleading for us to come to Christ and freely receive new life.