2 Corinthians 5

I'd like to look in John's Gospel, John's Gospel chapter 21. I'm Marvin Johnson, I'm from the Ontario Assembly. I've been there for 34 years, trying to be of a help there.

Trust what I have this morning will be an encouragement to you. John's Gospel chapter 21 and verse 20, when Peter turning about, seeing the disciple whom Jesus loved following, which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? And Peter seeing him, saith to Jesus, Lord, what shall this man do? And Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me. The thing I want to emphasize this morning is the day in which we live in, and the circumstances of our own lives, with the Lord working with us and in us, and may the Spirit of God impress upon us.

I can remember when I was first saved in 1977, there on March 11th, Paul Elliott and Alex Stenitka were preaching the Gospel, and that was a glorious time. There was quite a few of us saved, over 10, maybe there was 12 of us, I can't remember. My memory isn't as good as it used to be.

But I got saved on a Friday night, in the back of the Gospel hall, on those words. When I was in despair, and thought maybe of all the Gospel I had heard, I had missed it. And those words the Spirit of God brought to me, it is finished, in John's Gospel 19, verse 30.

And I thought to myself, and I was ignorant and blind, and burdened with my sin, I thought, what's finished? And it come to me, the work to save my soul, and I'll never have to go to hell. But a lot of water has passed over the dam since I have gotten saved, and a lot of circumstances have entered in, in the assembly and in our lives, and I would have to encourage you with this, God is good. Whatever happens in the assembly, whatever happens in our lives, do what the Lord Jesus would tell you to do.

Follow thou me, he says. Now let's go to 2 Corinthians. There's a word of encouragement here.

I've enjoyed it. Let's just break in at chapter 5, and we'll look at this epistle a little bit. Verse 1, For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God and house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

For in this we groan earnestly, desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven. If so be that being clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened, not for that we would be unclothed, but be clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.

Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing as God, who hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith and not by sight.

We are all confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Therefore we labor that whether we be present or absent, we may be well pleasing of Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. For we are made manifest unto God, and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences. For we commend not ourselves unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that you may have somewhat to answer them with glory in appearance and not in heart.

For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God, or whether we be sober, it is for your cause. For the love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then we are all dead. And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose again.

Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh. Yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation, or a new creature.

Old things are passed away, behold all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation. To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us. We pray you in Christ's stead be you reconciled to God, for he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. God will bless to us the reading of his word.

I think one of the key verses in this epistle, for we walk by faith and not by sight. Many times I have found in my Christian experience, sometimes what I saw wasn't really what it was. And walking by faith in God and in the Lord Jesus Christ, it had direct our paths and our eyes and our hearts to the word of God.

And the Lord Jesus says, if you love me, you'll keep my commandments. And I think some of the most joyous times I've had in my Christian experience, is when I've been doing something that the Lord told me to do from his word. The word of God that's a light unto our pathway.

Thank God for the word of God. I wonder sometimes if I really realize how valuable this is to me as a saint of God. The word of God.

I think of going to a funeral. I think it was of Mr. Mick. And they had the word of God tucked, if I remember, into his casket or under his arm.

And as a young believer, I looked at that. And I didn't really realize the depth of that. But now I understand the depth of that.

That is the word of God that directed that man. That was the word of God that gave peace to that brother. That was the word of God by which he walked by and which he was blessed by.

And this epistle and the metaphors would bring that to our mind. We're an epistle of Christ. Read by all men.

We're read by our fellow believers. We're read by the world around us. And I think of the metaphor of the incense too as well.

You know, there sometimes has to be a little crushing in our lives before there's a sweetness. I think of a few days in the hospital there. I spent 20.

But I think of the few days, four or five days, my kidney didn't work and my liver quit. But then were good times. I went there to get healed.

And I didn't realize the total of it. There was doctors to be witnessed to. There was nurses that came in at 1 and 2 in the morning and wondered what made me tick.

And I was able to tell them about my glorious Lord Jesus Christ. And that my sins were forgiven and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses from all sin. I thought I went down there to get healed.

And I did get better. But there was another work, a spiritual work that I was so ignorant about as the day I went in. And then they punctured my liver and then I got quite a lot of infection.

But there was another work to be done there. There was a crushing that had to take place. And I can say God is good.

And I think I appreciate Him more and I hope that I appreciate Him more. But this was impressed upon my soul. We walk by faith and not by sight.

We don't know what is around the corner. It's just a common practice to put a stent in your bile duct and you'll go home and go to work tomorrow. That is the way it worked.

God had another plan. There needed to be the crushing. There needed to be a better appreciation for God Himself.

There needed to be a better appreciation for the local assembly. I was sure happy to get back to see the brethren and sisters in Christ. I was sure happy to sit down around Him and to remember Him in His own appointed way.

How I missed that. I was five weeks going to a hospital for three hours a day. They had a stent in me to take antibiotics and I didn't get to the Sunday meetings.

I was in that hospital. But besides the 20 days, there was five weeks, seven days a week that I missed the Lord Jesus and missed the saints. But God is faithful.

God is faithful to come alongside. So we walk by faith and not by sight. When you think of the crushing of the incense that brought a sweet smelling savor.

How about the Apostle Paul? How about our Lord Jesus Christ? When there was a crushing at Calvary. When there was those that hated our Lord more than the hairs of His head. Men realized there was something special about Him.

The Lord Jesus. The Apostle's life. The beatings.

The suffering. But through this epistle comes the sweetness, the sweet smell of the incense. He turned from a gospel effort to come back to minister to those at Corinth.

To teach Him further. To instruct Him further. To encourage Him further.

We are not sufficient of ourselves to think anything of ourselves. But our sufficiency is of God. We have to learn that.

Our sufficiency is of God. I had to admit God was in control. Because things in my life were quite out of control.

But when we think of the letter that the saints read. The unsaved read. Our lives.

It makes us think of the greatness. That you and I. When we think of the mirror there. The other metaphor.

That we can be changed. And become more like the Lord Jesus Christ even here below. That others might see Christ in you and me.

What's the motivation? The motivation is verse 14 of chapter 5. For the love of Christ constraineth us. Have you ever sit down in the circumstance of life. And the love of Christ just overwhelmed you.

And you sit there with the word of God. And you enjoy the love of Christ. In the circumstance of your life.

And you knew His presence. There's nothing like it is there brethren and sisters. You don't have to be along the pathway of life very far to come into a place like this.

The other motivation. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. To think of serving Him.

In service. Here in this epistle. Is the truth of separation.

Chapter 6. Be separated from. It's a great truth. And it must be learned by us early in life.

There's some things we must not touch. To enjoy. The fullness of Christ and fellowship.

We must walk in the light. To enjoy full fellowship. Of a holy God.

I'm thankful we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous. We don't have to go very long in the Christian life to realize we have failures. But we think of that day when the rewards will be handed out.

It's quite a motivation is it to think. That I can serve Him. And there's a reward for it.

In the coming day. And brethren and sisters. I don't think it's very far away.

The coming. Of our Lord Jesus Christ. It seems like it's impressed upon my soul as I sit around the Lord Jesus on the Lord's Day morning.

Until He comes again. This dude. In remembrance of me.

Until I come again. I think it was Mr. Brett. I heard him on a tape back in 57.

When he was sitting there remembering the Lord. He said. He knew for sure this is something the Lord wanted him to do.

And it's a glorious Lord's Day morning. And we can rejoice and be glad in it. That in this country there's a time set aside that we can come.

Collectively as saints around the Lord Jesus Christ. And offer up our praise and thanks to the one who alone is worthy. And to remember Him.

With this banner over us. It's a banner of love. But with His word.

He reminds us until I come again. The glorious day. Is coming.

It's soon. It's coming. He's coming soon.

I think of the doctor. And I witnessed to him and I told him. It's alright.

He's the one that performed this procedure. And he was a young doctor. And he was highly recommended.

And the nurses told me if I had anybody do this procedure. It would be him. But the conscience.

He had such a conscience. About what he had done to me. That he spent a lot of time in my room.

And I witnessed to him. But finally the day come. When he said this to me.

He said Marvin. You can't think like this. About going to heaven.

You can't be talking about it. There's your wife. She's crying.

There's your family. They're crying. And you can't think about it like this.

And you know that kind of hit me. I thought at first. Well, he never responded.

To the work of Christ. He never said a word. One way or the other.

But you know what hit me like a hammer like this. Maybe I'm not going home to heaven. And there is others.

To be thinking about. Than yourself. The Lord Jesus didn't think about himself.

Didn't He? There was always others. The Apostle Paul. When he finished here.

Probably didn't take a very big bag to carry his belongings away. Did it brother? But his testimony is still here. Before us in the word, isn't it? A life given.

A sacrifice made. A living sacrifice to give His life. That's an example for you and I. Not to live for what I can get.

Or for the fame for me or anything. But for others. I am an ambassador for Christ.

Now, then we are. Verse 20 of chapter 5. Ambassadors for Christ. Quite a job, isn't it? Quite a calling.

It's somewhat of a responsibility. But it has favor. You and I. Called out from sin and saved.

Now we are ambassadors for Christ. Keep at it, brethren. Sisters.

It's a high calling. Quite a motivation, isn't it? When we think of how we can be a sweet saver. Among those that we dwell with.

And I would say this from experience. Start with your family. Start with your family.

If you're married, start with your wife. Move out to the assembly if you're in the assembly. And if you're saved, best way to serve God, the Lord Jesus Christ, and if you're not in the assembly, is to get in the assembly.

Best way to serve God. There's responsibilities. But there's glories and joys that money can't buy.

And blessings in your own soul. When you're doing something, our brethren that preach the Gospel full time and minister, I know they have a joy in their soul that nothing in this world can compare. But maybe you don't serve full time like our brethren.

And you've got a corner where you can serve. And there will be that same joy. For the love of Christ constraineth us.

That love, and you and I need to work upon it. And with the help of God, it must grow. And it will grow.

You spend time in the Word of God and then obey the Word of God, and that love will grow. Because this is the living Word. And we've been reminded in this little portion the earnest of the Spirit.

The Spirit's within you. Thank God for the earnest of the Spirit within us. You know, after I got saved, I thought, I'll probably forget about the Lord Jesus Christ.

And I want to keep remembering about the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, there isn't a day that goes by that I'm reminded of the Spirit of God, divine life within me. And that's a sure sign you're saved.

Thank God for the earnest of the Spirit that directs us to Christ. The love of Christ constrains us to think of that, brethren. And we can be changed and be like Him.

Oh, what a day that will be when we're fully like Him. But to be changed here by reading His Word and growing. And not only reading His Word, by obeying His Word.

If you love me, you'll keep my commandments. May God bless us.