The Passion of a Missionary
2 Corinthians 5:1-21
January 6, 2013
Well as you know we are presently taking a break from our study in the gospel of Matthew because I felt it necessary to spend a little time here in the month of January to sort of “stoke the missionary fire” in our church.
In Peter’s second letter he wrote:
2 Peter 1:12-13 “Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder.”
I guess you could say that is what I am doing.
The reality is that missions is an area
Where we need to have our fire stoked every now and then.
I am convinced that this church has a great missionary heart.
• You’ve given too much money…
• You’ve gone too many places…
• You’ve supported missions in too many ways…
For anybody to doubt your commitment to missions.
But I am also aware that in reality there is probably nothing
That forces us out of our comfort zone like missions does.
And so even though we love missions
We still need to be prodded from time to time
In order to help us overcome our natural human hesitancy.
We started talking about this concept a little last week as we listened to Paul encourage Timothy to not quit on his mission.
And Paul gave Timothy some really good advice
About what he needed to remember in regard to missions.
1) Remember why we suffer
Namely the gospel is worth it. (word of God is not imprisoned)
2) Remember why we endure
And that is for the elect. (endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen)
3) Remember what we trust
In short Paul called Timothy to remember the consequential side of missions.
And that is that Jesus will raise those who die,
He will reward those who endure,
He will deny those who deny,
He will be successful either way.
Well this morning I kind of what to continue on that theme a little more.
Only hear I want to show you how this view of eternity
Was also Paul’s driving passion for missions.
I am a firm believer that everything a Christian does
Should be motivated by a view of eternity.
Colossians 3:2 “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”
This is how a Christian lives.
• We don’t store up treasure here, we store it up there.
• We seek first the kingdom of heaven.
And this mindset is true for missions just like it is for everything else.
Now I have to admit that my intention
Was really only to study verses 20-21 of this chapter.
(20-21) “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
But by now you know you cannot just jump into the middle of a text
Without giving a little context.
After all verse 20 uses the word “Therefore”
And you have to know what the “Therefore” is there for.
But verse 17 also says “Therefore”
And verse 16 also says “Therefore”
And verse 11 also says “Therefore”
And verse 9 also says “Therefore”
And verse 6 also says “Therefore”
And so you see why we are now studying this entire chapter.
The positive to that is that we gain a better understanding of context and hopefully do a better job of grasping the overall point.
The down side is that we are not going to be able to get as detailed into all these verses as we might like.
But what I do want to show you is Paul’s driving passion for missions
And why he was so passionate about it.
Now there are 7 passions we can identify here about Paul in this chapter,
But you need to know that they really all hang on the first one.
All of the “Therefore” statements naturally build off of the ones that precede them and that obviously makes the first the one the pivotal one.
A list like that also makes the last one the chief responsibility.
So let’s look at these passions of Paul
And see why a missionary does what a missionary does.
#1 HE WAS CONSCIOUS OF ETERNITY
2 Corinthians 5:1-5
We could very easily even begin our study back up in chapter 4 where Paul talks about not losing heart even though the outer man is decaying.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 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.”
And so Paul is focused on the eternal already there.
And it is that thought that pours over here into chapter 5
When he again mentions his focus.
Namely that he is conscious of eternity.
(1) “For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”
Paul likens our present house to a “tent”
We know by definition that tents are temporary things.
Well obviously the “tent” Paul is referring to is our physical body.
This body is a temporary thing.
It was not created to last forever, and it will not last forever.
But we are looking forward to a “building”
(a new body – a better more permanent one)
And what Paul knows right off the bat is that
There is no reason to be overly concerned
About the safety of this body, because it won’t last anyway.
We need to have a focus toward the new permanent body.
(2-4) “For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.”
There Paul actually laments a little of the hardship and struggle
Of living in this tent.
Living in this tent causes us to “groan”
I’ve heard Neta say many times, “You have to be tough to grow old”
You’ll also notice that in comparison to the next house
Paul likened this one to being “naked”.
The idea there being unprotected.
A tent is no kind of security compared to a building.
But the main idea here is that Paul is conscious of the fact that
This body will not last forever, but in eternity he gets one that will.
(5) “Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a pledge.”
And here Paul says that God is actually the One who designed it this way.
It is God who first put us in this earthly tent,
And it is God who has purposed us to receive a heavenly building.
And in order to prove this building to us He has given us
“the Spirit as a pledge.”
And we don’t have the time to fully explain this
The way it deserves to be explained, but the idea here is that
The Spirit causes us to know there is more out there than this.
Romans 8:18 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
Now why does Paul consider that?
How does Paul know that what is coming is better than what is here now?
In verses 19-22 he says he knows because creation groans for it.
Creation was here before the fall and knows there is something better.
But that is not the only reason.
Down to verse 23 of that chapter:
Romans 8:23 “And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.”
Paul knew the eternal place was better
Because the Spirit inside him groaned for it.
He is the “pledge”
Now, there is more that could be said, but the main thing I want you to understand here is that Paul is CONSCIOUS OF ETERNITY
Paul realizes that there is more to this whole thing than just this life.
Paul realizes that after this life there will be eternity.
Now, do you realize that?
• Do you believe that there is an afterlife?
• Do you believe that there will be an eternity not only for you but for all humanity?
Good, because that belief is the driving force
Behind missions and your involvement in it.
For let me show you how that belief drove Paul.
Since Paul was conscious of eternity, let me show you his next passion.
#2 HE WAS COURAGEOUS IN HARDSHIP
2 Corinthians 5:6-8
And we get to our first “Therefore”
(that links back to Paul’s belief in eternity)
“Therefore (since we know we will dwell in eternity), being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are home in the body we are absent from the Lord – for we walk by faith, not by sight – we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”
There again there is much more that can be theologically discussed here,
But it is important you get the main point.
In verse 6 and 7 Paul throws in some added information.
Namely that he is presently absent from the Lord,
But he is looking forward to the day when he is present with Him.
Now that is added information, but surrounding that statement Paul actually makes the main point twice.
(6) “Therefore, being always of good courage…”
(8) “we are of good courage”
We certainly don’t want to ignore the valuable truth in between,
But you see Paul’s main point.
Since we are conscious of eternity, it affects the way we live.
Our consciousness of eternity causes us to be courageous here.
Since we are convinced that God has a building for us,
Why would we live in fear of the destruction of this earthly tent?
In fact Paul says, losing this tent would actually be a good thing.
WHY?
(8) “we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”
It’s really hard to intimidate a man with death
When that man sees death as a promotion.
Philippians 1:21 “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
Remember when Paul found out that suffering awaited him in Jerusalem?
Acts 21:10-14 “As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'” When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking, “The will of the Lord be done!”
Paul wasn’t afraid of death, he knew eternity was real.
And that is the point he is making here to the Corinthians.
Since I am conscious of eternity, I am courageous in hardship.
And that is good information for us.
One of the biggest reasons people abstain from missions is fear.
Those are dangerous countries…
Those are dangerous people…
You don’t know what they might do…
Well here you see how one missionary overcomes that fear.
I just asked you if you believed in eternity.
Then let that belief give you courage to face hardship.
He was Conscious of Eternity, He was Courageous in Hardship
#3 HE WAS AMBITIOUS TO PLEASE
2 Corinthians 5:9-10
Now again this is a statement based on previous facts, “Therefore”
Since we know God has something better in store for us in eternity,
And since we are not afraid of death…
“we also have our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
We certainly know that some ambition can be bad.
• James tells us that selfish ambition is demonic.
• We know that those whose ambition is to get rich pierce themselves with many griefs.
But Paul’s ambition was a good one.
His goal for life was right on.
He only wanted “to be pleasing to [Christ]”
Now why did Paul want to please Christ?
Because he will one day stand before Him and be recompensed.
(10) “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may be recompensed for his deeds in the body according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
So now you see how Paul’s view of eternity
Affected not only his courage, but also his faithfulness.
He is faithful because he knows that eternity
Will also bring with it judgment of how he lived.
Do you believe that?
• Do you believe that eternity is real?
• Do you believe that even if the enemy kills you God has something better?
• Do you believe you will be judged by Christ for how faithfully you served Him?
Paul did.
He was Conscious of Eternity He was Courageous in Hardship
He was Ambitious to Please
#4 HE WAS IMPERVIOUS TO MOCKERY
2 Corinthians 5:11-15
Again, there is that “Therefore” statement.
And this time Paul says that his view of eternity
And the fact that Christ is the judge
Causes him to only really care what Christ thinks.
“Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God;”
In other words, we try to persuade men to follow, but we aren’t concerned what they think of us, the one who truly sees us is God.
Now he hopes men think better
“and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences.”
If you read 2 Corinthians, you realize that Paul is writing a defense letter because he has come under some pretty intense attack.
The Judaizers have come in and accused Paul of many things,
Not the least of which was being a fool.
And they used several things.
• The Judaizers had an extensive resume, Paul didn’t.
• The Judaizers drew big fees for their services, Paul didn’t.
• The Judaizers were bold and braggadocios, Paul wasn’t.
2 Corinthians 10:10 “For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible.”
The Judaizers continually tried to play Paul out as a fool,
In order to draw the Corinthians after themselves.
And Paul is in part answering that accusation here.
Look, one day I will stand before God, not them,
So I could care less what they think of me.
Paul was Impervious to Mockery
(Immune to it – it didn’t bother him)
I’m only concerned about what Christ thinks of me.
(12-13) “We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.”
Paul said, “I’m not trying to brag on myself, I’m just trying to let you know we are the real deal and so that when those people who think appearance is important accuse us, you’ll have an answer.”
And here is that answer.
“if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.”
“beside ourselves” translates EXISTEMI
It literally means “to put out of position, to displace”
In this case it means “out of your mind”
Mark 3:20-21 “And He came home, and the crowd gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal. When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.”
The implication here is that Paul appeared foolish and out of his mind.
And Paul says, “If I looked out of my mind, I did it for God”
I’m only concerned about what he thinks of me, not what men thinks.
WHY?
Because He is the only one who I will answer to someday.
And do you see why else Paul is willing to be considered a fool?
(14-15) “For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.”
Paul says I am willing to look like a fool
Because I am filled with a love for Christ.
He died for me and looked a fool.
Is it too much to ask for me to look like a fool and die for Him?
And again, there is much more in that section,
But namely you see that Paul doesn’t mind looking like a fool.
Now that is good stuff,
Because I can tell you another reason people don’t want to go on mission.
They don’t want to embarrass themselves.
What will people think if I sign up to go? (I know some of you face scorn for it)
What will the lost think when I start offering a different religion?
Paul wasn’t concerned about looking a fool.
He knew eternity was real.
He knew he would be judged.
And so he know only one opinion really mattered.
It’s beginning to become clear why he was such a good missionary.
He was Conscious of Eternity He was Courageous in Hardship
He was Ambitious to Please He was Impervious to Mockery
#5 HE WAS CALLOUSE TO APPEARANCE
2 Corinthians 5:16
Again we get a “Therefore”
Now Paul just said he wasn’t concerned about how he appeared to men.
He wasn’t concerned if people thought he looked out of his mind.
The flip side is
He was also unimpressed with how other people appeared.
“Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer.”
Paul didn’t care what you thought of his appearance,
And was not the least bit impressed with how others appeared.
• So what if you have a seminary degree…
• So what if you wear all the latest missionary fashions…
• So what if your passport is full of stamps…
He recognized true Christian people
By the same way he recognized Christ.
HOW WAS THAT?
Well that’s the next point.
#6 HE WAS SERIOUS ABOUT REGENERATION
2 Corinthians 5:17
This is that famous verse, but you can see it builds on the preceding verses.
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold new things have come.”
If Paul wasn’t concerned about outward appearance,
Then what was he concerned about?
He was concerned about whether or not people were a new creation.
Galatians 6:15 “For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.”
I’m not the least bit concerned about the outward appearance,
Not mine, and not anyone else’s.
Now, let’s take inventory here for a second,
Because we are about to get to the point.
Paul had a conscious view of eternity.
• And since he knew God had better things in store in eternity, he was courageous here.
• And since he knew eternity was real and he would be judged, he was ambitious to be pleasing here.
• And since he knew that he would be judged by Christ in eternity, pleasing Him was all that mattered and he was impervious to people’s mockery.
• And since he knew that outward appearance didn’t matter, he was callous to it, not caring what people outwardly looked like.
• And since that outward appearance didn’t matter, he was only concerned about people being a new creation.
Do you see that?
It all links back to Paul’s belief that eternity is real,
And judgment is real, and Christ is the judge,
And pleasing Him is all that matters.
So Paul’s life gets really easy to understand.
He wasn’t concerned about matters of this life, only matters of eternity.
Galatians 6:14 “But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
All Paul cared about was whether or not people were made new in Christ,
Because in view of eternity this is really all that mattered.
Now that leads then to his final passion.
#7 HE WAS ZEALOUS FOR RECONCILIATION
2 Corinthians 5:18-21
Now Paul wanted men to be a new creation,
But this was not something that man could do on his own.
Only God can do that.
(18) “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ…”
So men need to be a new creation,
But the only way that can happen is if God does it,
And the only way to get to God is through Christ.
In this life, in view of eternity, that is really all that matters.
What does it matter how much money you make
Or how much prestige you obtain,
Or anything else if at the end you still aren’t pleasing to God?
Matthew 16:26 “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Coming to God through Christ to be made new is really all that matters.
Now where does Paul fit into this story?
(18b) God “gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”
WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
(19) “namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”
All that matters is a new creation, and that is only done by Christ,
But Christ has entrusted us with this message.
DO YOU SEE WHY MISSIONS IS SO IMPORTANT TO PAUL?
Eternity is real, and judgment is real, and appearance doesn’t matter,
A new creation is required.
God has made a new creation possible through Christ,
And He has appointed us to make sure everyone knows.
Now that leads to the final “Therefore”
(20) “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
Paul was zealous for reconciliation.
That was his job.
He was entrusted with sharing the greatest news humanity ever received.
WHAT WAS THAT?
(21) “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
God placed our sin on Christ, so that we could be made righteous
And thus ready for eternity.
That was the message that God entrusted Paul and us to share.
That is our part in this story.
Christ paid the debt, we tell the world.
Now I know we have covered a lot of ground here this morning,
But let me sort of pull all this back together.
Is eternity real? (Yes)
Does it matter more than this life? (Yes)
Will God give you a building if this tent is torn down? (Yes)
So then why are we afraid to go on mission?
In eternity will Christ judge us for our actions? (Yes)
Does anyone else’s opinion matter there? (No)
Then why are we worried about what other people think,
And not worried about what He thinks?
When Christ judges, will He judge by appearance? (No)
Is anything more important to Him than righteousness? (No)
So why is anything more important to us?
Did Christ make this righteousness possible? (Yes)
Did He ask us to tell this message to the world? (Yes)
Then why would we not make sharing that good news
The chief purpose of our life?
That is called missionary passion.
It all stems from a belief in eternity, and judgment,
And the necessity of righteousness,
And righteousness made available through Christ.
And the fact that someone has to tell the world about this.
That is why Paul did it.
“Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
WHAT A STATEMENT!
It was the passion of a missionary.
If we lack that same passion, there is a reason.
• Either we don’t believe eternity is real…
• Or we don’t believe judgment will occur…
• Or we don’t believe righteousness is the standard of that judgment…
• Or we don’t believe Christ really made righteousness possible…
• Or we just don’t care if men know it or not…
That’s really the only explanation for not being passionate.
This morning I want to challenge you again to open your heart to missions.
It could be this trip back to Africa.
It could be sharing Christ in this town in which we live.
But I want to challenge you to let the fire for missions
Be lit inside your soul and once again to remember
Our truest purpose for being here.
If eternity is true, than really, nothing matters more.
Romans 10:13-15 “for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.” How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!”
