STRAIGHT OUTTA CONTEXT: 2 Corinthians 5:10

Chris McCurley: Last week I was in Batesville, Arkansas. My first coaching job was just outside of Batesville, and then I got into ministry at North Heights Church of Christ in Batesville, Arkansas. That church is very special to me because obviously it's where I started in ministry. And it's also special to me because they had no business hiring me. I was baptized on October 24th, 1997. I was hired. in the fall of 2000. So I'd been a Christian about three years. I didn't know the difference between Noah's Ark and the Ark of the Covenant. I couldn't tell you the difference between Genesis and Revelation. And and we had this long interview process and finally the elders said, Chris, we want to hire you, but you don't know anything. So we're gonna send you back to school. Harding was forty five minutes from Batesville, and we're gonna pay for you to take two classes a semester, we'll pay your gas down there and back, and we'll buy your books. And and I told them while I was there, I said, I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for that leadership who saw something in a green, ignorant young man who was twenty-eight at the time. You can see why it was so special for me to go back and to celebrate their family day with them. And they said, you know, since you're here, let's just do a Sunday through a Wednesday. We hadn't done that in a while and so that sounds good to me and got a chance to fish and do some other things while I was there, but very thankful for that time. But it's always fun to go other places, but it's always great to come back home and it's always fun to go to other places and tell them about how great my job is and how wonderful the family that I'm a part of is now. I love talking about Walnut Street. I love bragging on our people. And so that's that's something I get to do when I go somewhere else. And I don't brag on you enough here, but thank you. before I moved here, I'd already taken the job. Steve called me and we talked, and I said, All right, Steve, I took the job, but I've never been here on a Sunday or a Wednesday. What am I walking into? And he said, Chris, this is my soulmate church. And I have repeated that line over and he's exactly right. It's mine too. This is it. And I just appreciate you so much for making it that. So, we're talking about Second Corinthians chapter five and verse ten. Let's start with a story. There's a guy by the name of Dennis Lee Curtis. Maybe you heard that name. He was arrested in nineteen ninety two, and as police were searching him, they found in his wallet a sheet of paper, and on it was written the following I will not kill anyone unless I have to. I will not take ca I will take cash and food stamps, no checks. I will rob only at night. I will not wear a mask. I will not rob mini marts or seven elevens. If I get chased by the cops on foot, I will run. If chased by a vehicle, I will not put the lives of innocent civilians on the line. I will rob only seven months out of the year. I will enjoy robbing from the rich to give to poor. So apparently Dennis Lee Curtis had a code of conduct For his criminality, maybe a a set of rules or maybe a hint of morality. But as you know, it doesn't matter what your code of conduct is, you're gonna be judged by the laws of the land. And his rules for robbery were not taken into consideration, not in the least, when a verdict was handed down for his punishment. Look with me at Second Corinthians chapter five. Speaking of reading of verse one. Paul writes, For we know that if our earthly tent, which is our house, is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made by hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, since in fact after putting it on we will not be found naked. For indeed we who are in this tent 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. Now, he who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a pledge. Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. But we are of good courage, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home. with the Lord. Therefore we also have as 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 receive compensation for his good deeds done through the body in accordance with what he has done, whether good or bad. That last line has been the cause of much confusion when it comes to our thinking about the judgment or judgment day. And you might remember, I say that all the time, don't I? Do you remember? You might remember. I don't even remember what I preached on a week ago, so you probably don't either. But last year when we were talking about Jesus is, we talked about Jesus is the judge, and we focused on how so many in our culture, even within the church, have this show trial mentality. So many people believe that on the day of judgment we're gonna stand single file and And we're gonna wait our turn to get up to a large desk, and sitting behind that large desk on a large throne will be our Lord, and on the desk will be a scale that will weigh our good deeds and our bad deeds, and if the good deeds outweigh the bad deeds, then we will be escorted around the desk through the burley pearly gates and to be with our Lord for eternity. But if the bad deeds outweigh the good deeds, then our Lord will pull a lever and it will release a trapdoor and we'll fall into hell for all eternity. That is the show trial mentality that we often think of or the picture we have in our minds when we are thinking of judgment day. But that type of mentality leads to asking two questions. Have I been good enough? And have I done enough? And those questions are the wrong questions related to eternity. Because those two questions have already been been answered. No, you haven't done enough and you never will, and no you haven't been good enough, nor will you ever be. But what we should be seeking is to answer, ask and answer a different question, which we'll get to in just a moment. Children of God will be judged by the judge, who by the way, also happens to be our lawyer. Remember these words? First John chapter two, one and two. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate, a lawyer, with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. And he himself is the propitiation, the appeasement for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. Jesus is the judge who takes our side. The one who judges the living and the dead is the one who died on a cross so that you could stand confident on the day of judgment. How cool is that, right? That's so awesome. You you go to trial to convict someone of a crime. You're not guilty. That's the whole point. You deserve the death penalty, but because of the gospel, because of Jesus Christ, and because you obeyed that same gospel, you could stand not condemned, but rather confident on the day of judgment. Jesus satisfied God's just requirements so that we could be justified, so that we could have no fear on the day of judgment. You heard the phrase face the music? You've heard of that, right? It's time to face the music. You know where that phrase comes from? Apparently, many moons ago, There was a king who had an imperial orchestra, and one gentleman wanted to be in the orchestra. Problem was he couldn't read music, he couldn't play an instrument, but he had a lot of money, and he had a lot of influence. And so he talked the king into letting him have a spot in the imperial orchestra. He got to be on the second row, he was given a flute, and he moved his fingers on the buttons, but he never blew any air, he just acted like he was playing. And all was fine and good until a different conductor took over the orchestra. And he wanted to make sure that everyone was up to snuff. He wanted to personally audition every single member of the Imperial Orchestra. When it came time to audition, the man that was a fraud played like he was sick. But the doctor evaluated him and said nothing's wrong with him, so he had to face the music. He had to prove that he was. a part of the orchestra or should have been a part of the orchestra, and of course he couldn't. And so that's where we get the phrase face the music. And and we use it in relation to judgment day, eternity, quite often. How's it gonna be the day you face the music? What state will you be in? Will you be a sheep or will you be a goat? What if I told you that judgment day is today, not tomorrow. Instead of thinking of the day of the Lord or judgment day as some future event, I want you to think of it as today. Now. Just as baptism, salvation is not a one-time deal, a one-shot deal. It is ongoing. Think of judgment the same way. Now, certainly there is a fixed day in the future when our Lord will return and we he will judge the living and the dead. But I think it's important to think Of judgment as an ongoing event rather than just some future thing. You know salvation will be rewarded and judgment will be declared someday. When is that day? I don't have a clue. You don't have a clue? And despite what all these end time prognosticators and forecasters have tried to claim through the years, they're just selling snake oil, they don't know either. No one knows the day of our Lord's return. However, that's not what should occupy our time anyway. What should occupy our time is that the day of the Lord is here. It is now. Turn with me to Acts chapter two. Beginning in verse 17. A year ago we set this up by talking about Joel, because Acts chapter two, a big portion of it is a recitation of the prophecy of Joel. In Acts chapter two, verse seventeen, it reads, And it shall be in the last days, God says, that I will pour forth of my spirit on all mankind, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even on my bond slaves, both men and women, I will in those days pour forth of my spirit, and they shall prophesy. This is Joel chapter three. And I will grant wonders in the sky above, and signs on the earth below. Blood and fire and vapor of smoke, the sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood before the great and glorious day of the Lord shall come, and it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. What is Peter's message here? His message is that the last days are here. They're here. You're living in them. The days of the Messiah have come. God sent his son to show us a better, more perfect way. And what did you people do to them? What did you people do to the Messiah? You murdered him. You murdered the Messiah. And what did the people at this time know? Well, they knew something about the kingdom, and they knew that there were blessings that come with the kingdom. They knew that judgment meant that God's enemies were in trouble. And so in this moment, it's like a light bulb going off. They realize that they are the ones that have killed the prophets, that murdered the Messiah. They had considered themselves on God's side and and now they realize that they are actually God's enemies. Look at verse 40. And with many other words, he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, Be saved from this perverse generation. They knew exactly what that meant. They were a part of that generation. They were now a part of the generation that killed the prophets who rebelled against God and his people. They were not a part of the chosen. They were the enemy. And Peter says, What? Repent and be baptized. For the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. That's crazy, isn't it? That even though you murdered the Messiah, even though you are representative of that generation that killed the prophets, there's still hope. As long as you're vertical and ventilating, you have hope. And Peter says, You're not on God's side? Well, you can be. It's not too late. You don't have to be an enemy of God. Peter and his audience found themselves gathered in the Valley of Decision, and some 3,000 made the decision that day to put on Christ in baptism and to become God's chosen people. The last days are here. This is the day of the Lord. Salvation and judgment are today, not tomorrow. Jesus has come, the kingdom has come. Now there is a future aspect of the kingdom. There is a time when Jesus will come back and he'll separate the sheep and the goats, but the sheep and the goats are really already being separated, right? There is no mystery here. There's nothing else to reveal. The standard has been set. The kingdom is at hand. And if you're in it, great. If you're not in it, then what are you waiting for? For Jesus to return? Well, then it's going to be too late. There will not be an opportunity to plead your case before God. You have no case. It's not like the accuser, Satan, is going to be there. He's thrown in the lake of fire. You've been declared not guilty. Again, you deserve the death penalty, but you've been justified. And I guess there's some on the day of judgment that might be surprised. Matthew chapter seven, twenty-one through twenty three tells us about some people who claim that they did good things, and Jesus says, Depart from me, I never knew you. You have practiced lawlessness. But I think for the most part, sheep know that they're sheep and goats know that they're goats. I don't know that it'll be a big surprise on the day of judgment. Judgment Day will be a day when every person is rewarded according to the way that they've lived. If you chose to be on God's side, then you'll be with Him for eternity. But if you chose to live in rebellion to God, then He'll give you what you've been living for all along. Again, we ask the wrong questions related to judgment. Have I done enough? Am I good enough? And these these are not the right questions. The only question that really matters in relation to eternity, in relation to the judgment day, is this. Am I a sheep? Is my name in the book of life? That's it. That's the only thing that truly matters. My list of sins doesn't matter. How much bad I've done doesn't matter. Nor how much good I've done doesn't matter. Because I can't earn this anyway. All that matters is my name in the book of life. And how does one get their name in the book of life? Obedience to the gospel, right? Being faithful unto death. Having a relationship with Jesus. Everything you are. And everything you do is proving whether you are on God's side or not. So when we read passages like examine yourself, making your calling and election sure, working out your own salvation, these are all about showing your loyalty. Which side are you on? Again, Matthew chapter twenty five, we have three parables related to the day of judgment. The last one talks about the time when the sheep and the goats will be separated, and what's the focus? Being Jesus. Were you Jesus? Did you see the hungry and give them something to eat? Did you see the thirsty and give them something to drink? Or were you a goat? The people who saw the folks that were thirsty and didn't give them something to drink. The people that saw the folks that were naked and turned their back on them and didn't clothe them, didn't do anything. Were you being Jesus? Every day is an opportunity to be a sheep. And don't let that opportunity slip away because There is no guarantee of tomorrow, so treat today as if today is the day of judgment. Now, 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 10 in context. Believe it or not, most of what Paul is talking about here has nothing to do with what we've just talked about. And you say, well, then why did we bring that up? Because There there's so much confusion around chapter five, verse ten, that I wanted to set the record straight about judgment day, but but also to give you a different way of looking at it. But but Paul is making reference to judgment and and I guess in a roundabout way, the judgment of Jesus Christ. And basically what he's saying is, I'm not worried. I'm not worried about what you people think of me. All my confidence is in how I stand before Jesus, both now and on the judgment day. So let's look at it again. Corinthians chapter 5, verse 10, if you'll turn there with me. Paul is not referencing the judgment day in an effort to get the Corinthians to straighten up and fly right. Actually, the entire context of Paul's words here are focused on his authority as an apostle. You might remember that he faced many detractors who wanted to discredit him, saying that he was not a true apostle. They didn't buy into his teachings. He found it ridiculous to have to give his resume, but he did so anyway. You might remember these words in chapter eleven. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? I am speaking as if insane. I'm more so in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received From the Jews thirty nine lashes, three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent adrift at sea. I've been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, dangers among false brothers. I have been in labor and hardship through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food. And cold and exposure apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern? Second Corinthians chapter 11. Paul's giving his resume. And in his essence, he's he's telling his audience, You have no problem listening to fools. You'll listen to fools. You won't listen to a Holy Spirit-inspired apostle? Paul sees it as ridiculous to have to defend himself. And so he proves, excuse me, he points to his proof of apostleship, but in answering his critics, he does make it clear to them that their judgment of him doesn't concern him. He's not worried about their judgment of him. That's not what matters. It's the judgment of our Lord that carries all the weight. Notice verses eleven and following of Second Corinthians chapter five. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade people, but we are well known to God, and I hope that we are also well known in your consciences. We are not commending ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity 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 have lost our minds, it is for God. If we are of sound mind, it is for you. 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 those who live would no longer live for themselves, but for him who died and rose on their behalf. Paul knew he was a sheep. He wasn't worried about that. He wasn't worried about what they thought of him. He was worried about the mission. He was concerned about the mission. And so even though he finds it ridiculous to have to give his resume, he does so because he believes in the mission. He's totally invested in the mission. But he knew who he was. He had confidence in who he was. And he had confidence in where he would be when all of this ended, when his life was over. Paul and his companions were well known to God, and that was all that mattered. Listen to what he wrote in 1 Corinthians chapter 4, verses 1 through 4. This is the way any person is to regard us. As servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy. But to me it is an insignificant matter that I would be examined by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even examine myself, for I am not aware of anything against myself. However, I am not vindicated by this, but the one who examines me is the Lord. You see where Paul's coming from? I'm not worried about what you guys think of me. You can discredit me. You can think that I'm not who I say I am. I know who I am. I know where I'm going. I'm a sheep. Compare those words to the verse we're focused on this evening. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive compensation for his deeds done through the body in accordance with what he has done, whether good or bad. Paul knew To use an Arkansas phrase, he knew which side his bread was buttered on. Ultimately, he didn't care what others thought. He wanted to be judged by Jesus. Not because he was perfect, but because he knew that he would be vindicated. I had a friend in Cassville, Missouri, Ray Vaughan, and Ray was Ray was quite a character, and he had these rules for life. And he would tell them to me every chance he got. One of the things that he used to say is, Tell the truth and you don't have to remember what you said. You can sleep at night. He had all these different raisms, as I called it. I think that's where kind of Paul is coming from. I think that's the kind of attitude he has. He knew the truth. He knew the truth about himself. He was engaged in an authentic mission. Others may see him as a counterfeit, but his identity is in Jesus. And that identity was secure. His eternal fate was secure. Wouldn't it be nice to live your life with the confidence that Paul had? Knowing that you're a sheep, knowing that any moment if your life was to end, that you're you're safe, you're secure. Judgment day can happen in a few seconds or a few years, you're good. And I hope that we all have that confidence, that we can all gain that assurance. Toward the end of the 19th century. Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel awoke one morning and he grabbed the newspaper and he opened it up to the obituaries and he found his name. It's rather eye-opening. And written as an epitaph. For these words. Alfred Nobel. Known for making an impact on humanity by developing something that could kill mass numbers of people efficiently while amassing a fortune in the process. And that shook Alfred Nobel to the point that he initiated the Nobel Prize, which awards scientists and writers who foster peace. He wanted to be known for something different. He said every man ought to have the chance to correct his epitaph in midstream and write a new one. You have that chance tonight. You have the chance to rewrite your epitaph. You don't like the way your story is going, you have a chance to rewrite it. You're still vertical, you're still ventilating, and therefore you have hope. You have an opportunity to have your story rewritten. Doesn't matter what you've done in the past. Doesn't matter what others say about you, like Paul. We know who the judge is. We know who judges us, and therefore we let him into our story so that it can have a happy ending. I've done a lot of funerals in my life as a minister. Too many to count. Most of those funerals have been really easy. Because thankfully, the people who have passed were people who lived a godly life, a faithful life. They may not have lived it their whole life. But at some point they did a U-turn and they dedicated their life to Christ. They surrendered to Jesus. And I tell you this all the time, live your life in such a way that you make it easy for me to do your funeral, if I'm the one that does your funeral. I did a funeral. It was the first funeral I ever did in Castville, Missouri, for a gentleman I did not know. I knew one of his daughters. He had three daughters. I knew one of them. She went to church with us and she asked me if I would do his funeral. No one else would do his funeral because he was not a great guy. He was quite around her. So my first funeral was in July, Missouri. It was a hundred degrees and a hundred and eighty percent humidity and I'm in a I'm in a suit and a tie and We're standing out at the cemetery, and how do I come up with something to say about a guy I never knew and a guy that even his own family didn't have anything good to say about? And so I did my best. And when I was done, the casket was being lowered into the ground, or about to be lowered into the ground, and one of the daughters climbed on top of it and just started wailing and beating on it. And it was such a sad scene. First funeral. That was my introduction to funerals. And all I could think in that moment is. That's what it looks like to have no hope. Right? I think that's what it looks like to have no hope. She was angry with him because he never would come around. He didn't allow his story to be rewritten. He lived his life in the opposite direction of God and she felt that he was going to pay for it. And it devastated her. And I just kept thinking to myself, that's what hopelessness looks like. And so I I just want to encourage you. To live your life in a godly direction, starting right now, if you haven't done it already. I think most of you, if not all of you, in this auditorium are doing that. But if not, today is the day. Not some fixed day in the future, right now. Every day is an opportunity to be a sheep. And it starts right now. And it's why we offer the invitation, so that if you're not right, you can get right. And let us help you do that. Come as we stand and as we sing.

2 Corinthians 5:10 2 Corinthians 11 · chapter mention 1 Corinthians 4:1–4