WORD
OF GOD: 2 Corinthians 5:21
“Good Friday: Our Hope in the death of
Christ”
INTRO . . . : The world is still in a panic of this
pandemic. People wonder about jobs, money, foods, and health. We all don’t want
to die, but death looks very imminent. BTW, 56
million people die each year; 151,600 people die each day; 6,316 people die
each hour; 105 people die each minute; nearly 2 people die each second. The
most popular place where people visited most is not the Taj Mahal or London
Bridge or Eiffel Tower. Btw, they are under lockdown now. The most visited place in
the universe is heaven and earth. Every ticking of a second somebody is going
to hell or heaven. We don’t want to die. Death is not good, but today
actually we are celebrating the death of Jesus Christ, and we called it Good
Friday. Because God desired that Jesus die.
Jesus died willingly that we may no longer die eternally, but that we would be
raised again after we die, on the day when Jesus comes to renew and replenish
the earth.
How can we live in HOPE
in this time of panic when death seems to lurk at our door? We can because we know the
death of Christ. By his death, whether we live or die, we can be at peace.
That’s what 2 Corinthians 5 is assuring us, particularly verse 21. The epistle
of 2 Corinthians is written by Apostle Paul for the people of Corinth. Apostle
Paul is one of the godliest men ever walked on earth. He traveled from
Jerusalem to Asia Minor to Europe preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. He
endured lots of sufferings, persecutions, and he was not uncommon to sickness
and natural calamities like a shipwreck in the open seas. No matter what the
circumstances of life were, he remains joyful because as he famously said, for
him “to live is Christ.” Knowing and trusting and obeying Jesus is sufficient
for a joyful living. Not only the circumstances of life, but even the perils of
death were dear to Him. Because that would mean to be with Christ. Well, look
at us. We are sacred of death as well as scared of the uncertain future and the
worries and the cares of the present. We ought to learn a lot from Paul.
20 years after the death and
resurrection of Christ, Paul visited Corinth being a passionate missionary. And
he pastored the Corinthian Church for 1 and a half years. After that, his
missionary zeal took him to Ephesus. There he penned the letter of 1 Corinthians
answering the many questions of Corinthians. Paul is committed to proclaiming
the gospel to all the ends of the earth as long as he lived. While he was in
Macedonia, it became fitting for him to write this 2nd letter of
Corinthians to address the trouble spreading in Corinth. One of the themes of 2
Corinthians is about Comfort (HOPE) in sufferings for He himself was a man of
great sufferings. We all want comforting news, news of hope, especially this
time right?
Chapter 5:1-8 is about the
unfading and unfailing hope of a Christian. He shows that by a way of
comparison that our life on earth is temporal. This is not the ultimate world
we would want to live forever, therefore we long (or should long) for the
permanent habitation, where we will live for thousands of years– forever–
without diseases, sufferings, and sins in and around us. So, we should not be
worried about the cares of this world. In fact in v8, Paul says, he said it’s
better for us to die now and be present with the Lord. But how can we,
(who are such a wretched sinner), be so sure about our destiny, to be with the
Lord, who is holy, and is a consuming fire? That’s what Paul answers in v21.
Paul reveals 2 truths
that make us hopeful in the death of Christ:
I.
GOD’S DEMAND OF JUSTICE IS FULLY
MET (21a)
Q1.
Who is “He,” “Him,” and “we” refer to in this verse? Whose action is shown as
active and whose action is passive? In light of that discovery, who is
responsible for our righteousness? Do we need anything else for our
righteousness?
Q2.
The phrase “who knew no sin” indicates that Jesus Christ was (and is)
totally sinless, and holy. And Romans 6:23 and Romans 5:12 says that Death
comes only to sinners, how could a sinless Christ die? Also, think through
this, if the loving God could let His beloved innocent Son die when he bore the
sins of the world, what is the hope of anyone who has ever sinned, trivial sin
or heinous sin?
Extra Q1.
How could the death of one man (Jesus Christ) at one point of time, a long time
ago, forgive all the sins of all believers, of all their single day of their
lives of past present and future? What do you think of this man Jesus Christ to
be of such an infinite value?
II.
GOD’S DEMAND OF HOLINESS IS
FULLY GIVEN (21b)
Q3. In
a conflict, it’s one thing to be forgiven, it’s another thing to be accepted.
To be reconciled, it needs both forgiveness and acceptance, what makes sinners
acceptable before God according to the last part of this verse? Also, explain
how does a sinner attains that status?
Q4.
Look at you! Are you really righteous? Every single cell of your body screams
out that you aren’t (or read 1John1:8-10), then, how does God consider us as
righteous? [the expression “that we might become” is not an expression
of possibility, but is an expression of a result of v.21a]
Extra Q2.
How did Jesus take away your sins on that cross? You weren’t even born then.
Have you ever thought carefully how were your sins taken away? Has it been just
a wishful thought, and not real? And how do you know that you are truly saved? [It’s
a Tough Question. One might answer this wrongly and still be a genuine
Christian. One doesn’t need to know the details of Salvation to be saved.]
CONCLU . . . : You
might say, “I do believe the truth of V21, that Jesus died in my place, and I
believe I’m righteous in the sight of God, but how do I receive this assurance?
I am still doubting. Help me!” You asked rightly my dear friend. It’s
one thing to be justified by God, it’s another to be sanctified by God. God
accepts you whether you feel or not if you really believed, but the assurance
of being saved is only through obedience to His commandments. Or in other
words, the genuineness of your faith in Christ will be demonstrated by your
obedience. Look at v 9-10. Paul says we all who profess faith in Christ must
strive to be pleasing to God. Is your life Christianly? Is your life a
demonstration of holiness and fleeing away from sins and the care of this
world? You better be. And then v 10 says that you cannot fool God. Your true
profession (by the result of your work,) you shall be judged! Don’t tell me
that you believe in Christ or are a Christian if your life doesn’t show that.
And some of you
say, “Amen, Amen brother!” To you, Paul says in v11-20, “Don’t just thank and praise God for
this gift of Salvation. Don’t
be just a recipient of Grace, but also be an ambassador of Grace. God is
serious. The unquenchable wrath of God is coming. You go and beg others that,
they be reconciled to God. When is the last time you persuade others to believe
the gospel? Leave aside persuasion, when is the last time you share a gospel.
Let’s leave aside sharing, when is the last time you even tried to share? Paul
says we must implore, plead, and beg others to believe. Is Good Friday and this
week not the best week to obey this?
Isn’t this time of
pandemic an appropriate time to implore them to know Christ before they die?
Would you make a commitment to share the gospel of reconciliation, this gospel
of justification, this gospel of God’s acceptance of believing sinners, this
gospel of Salvation to others by any means, calling, texting, sending
gospel-centered articles links in social media, or even by asking the
opportunity to pray for them? A Lot can be proclaimed in prayer! You know that
don’t you? Jesus dying for our sins is the hope of our life here on earth and
for the life to come.
PRAYER
POINTS:
1. Praising God for the gift of Salvation to us, a wretched hapless
sinner)
2. Pleading for the Salvation of the lost souls: That God will raise up
workers to reach out.
3. Praising God for the blessing of Fellowship and Technology
4. Praying God for all our needs, cares, careers, and good health
5. Praying for the pandemic and people around the world: That they will
seek God and live.
6. Praying for us to live out the fruit(s) of the Spirit and live out the
Gospel.
MAY THE LORD
BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU!
FOR THE ANSWERS TO THE 6 QUESTIONS ABOVE, YOU
MAY DOWNLOAD FROM THIS LINK ANSWERS_Good_Friday