The greeting. Grace to you.
The Scripture. Please open your Bible to Second Corinthians. I will read 2 Corinthians 5:1-10, and our sermon will come from verse 9. Verse one, hear God’s holy word – read.
The assurance of a future life with God. 2 Corinthians 5:1. 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. 2 For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, 3 inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. 4 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. 5 Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.
The comfort in this life in light of the future life with God. 2 Corinthians 5:6. Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight— 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.
The diligence in this life in light of the future life with God. 2 Corinthians 5:9. Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.
2 Corinthians 5:10. 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.
The prayer. Please pray with me as we ask the Lord to fill us with His Holy Spirit in our worship of Him this morning – pray.
The introduction – home to be with God. Last Sunday we looked at this chapter, and we considered verse one to verse ten. Our main focus was on the truth that true Believers in Jesus Christ go to live with God in heaven after we die. Heaven is referred to as being at home with the Lord.
Home is a family term. Heaven is a family place. Our heavenly Father is there. We are His beloved holy children. Christ has purchased our adoption. And we cry Abba, Father, on our way home.
As I said, this morning I want to unpack verse 9 a bit more.
The audience – the Christian. Before I address the doctrine under consideration. I want to draw your attention to two things first.
The audience of our passage directly is the Christians at the church of Corinth, written circa A.D. 55.
But since the Holy Spirit placed this book within the canon of holy Scripture that means the audience for the truths were looking at is the universal church on earth. (Rom.3:1-3, WCF 1.1, WCF 25.2-3)
So all professing Christians along with their children are being told these things. That includes all of us. May we all believe that God is speaking to us personally, because He is.
The duty – the obedience. The second thing is that this is a duty passage. The Bible teaches us what to believe about God and what duty God requires of us. (WSC 3) And as Believers we love to be instructed on both.
Remember, we are not saved by our doing. But Jesus has saved us by His doing, and He has saved us unto doing. Biblical Christianity is a Biblically active life, picking up our cross, denying ourselves, and following Jesus, meaning following every word that comes from God’s mouth as recorded in His book. (Mt.4:4, 2 Tim.3:14-17, Mt.28:18-20, WCF 16.1-3)
Listen to this insightful comment from our secondary standards that will help us love and obey the doctrine about our duty in our passage today.
WSC 90. How is the word to be read and heard, that it may become effectual to salvation? A. That the word may become effectual to salvation, we must attend thereunto with diligence,(1) preparation,(2) and prayer;(3) receive it with faith and love,(4) lay it up in our hearts,(5) and practice it in our lives.(6)
(1) Prov. 8:34 (2) 1 Pet. 2:1,2 (3) Ps. 119:18 (4) Heb. 4:2; 2 Thess. 2:10 (5) Ps. 119:11
(6) Luke 8:15; James 1:25
He who has ears to hear, let him hear. (Mt.11:15, Rev.3:22, Jn .8:47)
The doctrine – ambition to please God. The doctrine this morning is summarized in verse nine, living to please Him, meaning living to please God in Christ.
In verse ten Paul adds in the judgment seat of Christ. So, these two things are connected. We strive to please Christ now with an eye to the Great Day when we all will appear before Him to give an account of how we have lived our life, how we have used the gospel talents. (2 Cor.5:10, Mt.12:36, Rom.14:12, Mt.25:14-30) Lord willing we will look at this next week. (WCF 33)
But again, the main truth for all of us as true disciples of Jesus Christ is that our daily desire is to please Him in whatever circumstances we find ourselves in. The way that Paul expresses this daily desire is with the word “ambition” in verse nine.
2 Corinthians 5:9. Therefore we also have as our ambition.
The root of our ambition – our union with God in Christ. Before we define what this daily desire or ambition means, let me first tell us what the root cause of this ambition is. Paul spoke about it earlier.
Something we know produces within us this ambition. Actually, I think it would be more accurate to say Someone we know produces this.
This is “know” like relationship “know”. Jesus says to the unconverted in the church, I never “knew” you. Meaning I have no saving relationship with you. (Mt.7:21-23, Jn.17:3, Jn. 10:14, I Jn.2:3, Phil.3:10, I Jn.4:7-8)
Look at verse one and six and seven.
2 Corinthians 5:1. 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.
2 Corinthians 5:6. Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight— 8 we are of good courage.
By the Spirit gift of faith, we know God in Christ savingly and we are also known by Him savingly. (Eph.2:1-9, WCF 26.1)
Christians, true Christians are those that are spiritually united to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And we also, by faith, enjoy constant spiritual communion with Him.
Listen to Christ describe this living spiritual union and communion we enjoy with God.
John 15:1. I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3 “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
4 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6 “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 7 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. 9 “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.
The apostle Paul speaks about this vital spiritual living relationship with God this way.
Galatians 2:20. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
The existence of our ambition – we desire to honor God. That knowledge of God or that relationship with God produces inner desires within each Believing heart.
New creatures in Christ have new desires in keeping with there new nature. Beloved, as a Christian you are not the same person, not even the same creature that you were before God converted you to Christ. (2 Cor.5:17-21, I Cor.6:9-11)
As an unbeliever, spiritually we were dead to God. And all our ambitions and desires were not for God, but for other things, the world and its things. (Eph.2:1-3)
But now we are new in Christ. Beloved, you really are spiritually and morally different. Christ has changed you. And He is still changing you, shaping you into His own blessed image. (I Cor.6:9-11)
The inner desire. Again as I say, as a Believer in Jesus you have new holy inner Godward desires and ambitions. Our new natures have new desires. So we can determine our spiritual nature or health by our desires.
Here is what ambition is.
Ambition is a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work. Ambition is an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honor, fame, or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment.
With ambition, there is a goal in mind, and there is some intense inner desire to achieve that goal, and then there is a mental determination to strive with hard effort to acquire the goal or the prize.
The love of God for you, is now in you, it is shed abroad in your soul. His love in you, is what creates your love for Him. (Rom.5:5, I Jn.4:19-21)
That is the inner desire, heart-to-heart desire. This a is a holy compulsion. Our circumcised heart is compelled towards God. (2 Cor.5:14-15)
This is not forced or feigned. This is necessary, spiritually natural or normative, I would say. And here I mean, natural for the true Believer, truly united to God.
Application. Let me stop here and say a word or two about desire. Paul says we make it our desire, our goal, our ambition to be pleasing to Jesus.
Beloved, sometimes our actual “doing” is lacking. For a whole host of reasons. But God knows our heart. God looks at even our desire to do something to please Him, as pleasing Him. O think of that.
I know the common proverb that pits desire against doing, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Meaning, if you only desire to do good and you do not actually do good, then you go to hell. Beloved, this is unbiblical nonsense. It is self-salvation, heaven by your doing.
The road to heaven is Christ. As Believers our person’s are accepted in Him, our doing or deeds are accepted in Him, and even our desires are accepted in Him. Our wanting to please Him is a good work! (WCF 16.1-7)
Nehemiah has a prayer that speaks to God accepting even our desires.
(KJV) Nehemiah 1:11. O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name.
The intense effort. Also with the idea of achieve is that this is something that is progressive, it will take time and effort, there is a process involved. Hence the work or the striving idea.
The KJV translation says we “labor”, we work hard, with blood, sweat, and tears to please Jesus, to be acceptable and pleasing to Jesus.
The intended goal. The ESV says we make it our “aim” to be pleasing to Jesus. That is the “goal” idea. In fact, the NIV version says, we “make it our goal”.
Beloved, as lovers of Christ we have a target or a purpose in view every moment of every day. Going to work, pleasing Jesus is the goal. Eating our food, pleasing Jesus is the goal.
Given what we have been saying, perhaps we can retitle our sermon – Resolution to Please Christ. Resolution gets us at that purposeful, wilful active desire to please Jesus. To resolve means to decide firmly on a course of action.
Note. Make a new year’s resolution to please Christ, each day, in all things.
The personal honor. Now the Greek word Paul uses is interesting, it is a compound word.
(φιλοτιμέομαι philo-timeomai), philo – to love, plus, timeomai – to honor. This ambition is to love honor, to be fond of honor, or to seek after honor.
To honor is to respect, to esteem, to value as great, to treat with deference and submission, to promote the fame and the good name of someone.
What is interesting here is that this honor is the honor of the Believer.
The Believer is striving for personal honor; he or she is striving to live in such a way that brings them personal esteem or respect.
Admittedly for a Christian, we instinctively think this is wrong, to love honor. Doesn’t Jesus say, don’t take the best seats of honor? But to take lower seats? Yes. (Lk.14:8-10, 20:46, Mt.23:6, James 4:6, Prov.25:6-7)
But this is not a carnal selfish sinful desire for personal respect because it is vitally connected to Christ’s honor.
Beloved, because of our spiritual relationship with God, our honor is to please Him. Believers are esteemed when Jesus is esteemed.
Think, husband and wife.
The honor of the wife is when her husband is honored. That is what Paul is getting at. We as Christ’s Bride are striving everyday to please our Husband Jesus Christ. You see this is the spiritual mystical one-flesh-union we enjoy with Jesus. (Eph.5:21-32)
This is the chief end of every believing man and woman, to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever, His glory is our glory, His joy is our joy. (WSC 1)
2 Corinthians 5:9. Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. 10 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.
The pleasing activity. Now let’s spend a little bit of time speaking about actually pleasing Jesus Christ. (Rom.14:18, Heb.13:21)
Not to merit salvation. Very briefly, this is not will-to-do or to-do in order to make Christ pleased with us. As Believers Christ loves us with a boundless love. Even our failures and sins cannot alter Christ’s love of us. We have been sealed with the Holy Spirit. Our eternity in Glory is fixed.
Because we have received salvation. Now this willing to live and actually trying to live in such a way to please Jesus shows us, as we said earlier, that we are in a real relationship with Jesus Christ. This is our gratitude for our salvation.
By faith. Of course, as verse six and seven tell us, we enjoy this spiritual relationship by faith.
We hear from Him in His word. This is why Bible reading and Bible meditation is so vital to our spiritual health. Read more Scripture (believingly) and you will desire to please Christ more.
And we speak to Him daily in our prayers. Oh Beloved I cannot stress enough the importance or you daily and constant personal prayer to God. Pray more (believingly) and you will desire to please Christ more.
By exercised faith. And that is because you are exercising your faith. You are communing more with Jesus. And by that you are enjoying Him more. And the more you enjoy Him, the more you want Him, and the more you want Him, the more you enjoy Him.
Oh beloved, to those without faith, this sounds like fiction. But to those who us with faith, we know.
Beloved, the way we overcome bad desires is with good desires. Christ is the best desire.
So, this ambition means that we think about Jesus Christ, daily, constantly. He is the love of our life and so we are fixated on Him.
Here is a quote by an English Puritan, Richard Sibbes. (1577-1635)
What the heart likes best, the mind studies most. (Mt.6:21)
Living to please Christ is trying to think, say, do, and feel things that Christ approves of, and not think, say, do, and feel, things He disapproves of. Paul says, “trying to learn” what is pleasing.
Ephesians 5:7. Therefore do not be partakers with them; 8 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light 9 (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10 trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; 12 for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. 14 For this reason it says, “Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.” 15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil. (Heb.11:5)
This means we have to study Jesus. Now what pleases Jesus? Jesus pleases Jesus.
Jesus always did the things that pleased the Father. Pleasing the Father pleased the Son. (Jn.8:29)
Well, what pleases the Father? Doing His will.
The revealed will of God is the word of God. Obeying the Bible pleases Christ.
I John 3:21. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. 23 This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.
And the word of God is the reflection of the character of God.
Beloved, as we grow in the image of God by hearing and walking in the word of God – we please Jesus Christ. Walking in the steps of Jesus pleases Jesus. (I Pt.2:21) Conformed into His image. (Rom.8:29)
This is another way of saying living to imitate Jesus Christ, and to imitate those that are best imitating Christ. (I Cor.11:1, Eph.5:1-2, Phil.3:17, I Jn.2:6) SERVE OTHERS (Jn.13)
Christ’s image in us, pleases Him. Christ’s righteousness in our justification pleases Him. And this passage is referring to Christ’s holiness in our sanctification pleasing Him. (WLC 75)
God calls us Believers to live a life worthy of Jesus Christ, worthy of the Gospel, worthy of our Lord. (Eph.4:1, Phil.1:27, Col.1:10) Think of the Beatitudes. Poor in spirit, mourn for sin, meek – gentle-lowly, hunger and thirsting for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers. Holy. Loving. God is love.
Love God and love others, for the pleasure of Christ. This pleases Jesus. (Rom.13:10)
Amen
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