Jack Jurgens's Ministry Library

Ministry from Matthew Cain on Sunday afternoon.

[0:00] Our reading now will be in the book of 2 Corinthians 5, please.
I again also thank you for the opportunity to be with you, and it’s been a delight for me to listen to the messages that I have heard as well.
I want to think with you about gaining a new perspective. We’re going to do that by observing the new perspective of Paul.
2 Corinthians 5, verse 1.

[0:30] For we know that if our earthly tent, I am reading from the CSB, we know that if our earthly tent we live in is destroyed, our present body, we have a building from God, an eternal dwelling in the heavens, not made with hands.
Verse 4, indeed we groan while we are in this tent, burdened as we are, because we do not want to be unclothed, but clothed so that mortality may be swallowed up by life.”, Come down to verse 11, therefore, since we know the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade people.
What we are is plain, it’s manifest to God, and I hope it is also plain to your consciences.
We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that you may have a reply for those who take pride in outward appearance rather than in the heart.

[1:29] For if we are out of our mind, it is for God. If we are in our right mind, it is for you.
For the love of Christ, verse 14, for the love of Christ constrains us, it compels us, since we have reached this conclusion.
If one died for all, then all died. And He died for all, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves.
But for the one who died for them and was raised.” From now on, verse 16, from now on then, we do not know anyone according to the flesh or from a worldly perspective.

[2:10] Even if we have known Christ from a worldly perspective, yet now we no longer know Him in this way.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
The old has passed away, and see, the new has come. is from God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.
That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us.
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ.

[2:49] God is making his appeal through us, we plead on Christ’s behalf. Be reconciled to God.
It’s his message to the world. He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us so that in him, we might become the righteousness of God. Now it would be helpful to you and me if you keep your Bible open to this passage to allow us to make some references. Sometimes the Lord allows us to go through some experiences. He gives us the privilege of going through things that are outside of our comfort zone, but he allows us to go through that in order to adjust some of our preconceptions and to give us a new perspective. Sometimes that’s a very painful thing. Could be tensions within the local church or it could be health issues. So sometimes those events cause us to re-evaluate some things and what’s important and set priorities.

[3:54] Other times, the experiences are more positive, while still out of our comfort zone, it is a more positive experience and it shapes our thinking for a little while.
I think back in my own experience, several years ago, 2010, and visiting a little assembly in the city of Beijing, China. Just a small number there in a little apartment breaking bread with them. It adjusts your perspective a little bit.

[4:24] Or traveling with seed sowers to Mexico a couple of times and visiting my brother and his family in the work of the Lord there. A little travel can often broaden and enhance our perspective.
In fact, Paul’s perspective was changed while he was traveling.
Traveling to Damascus, Acts chapter 9, and his perspective is changed. He’s knocked out of his comfort zone. He’s knocked to the ground. And he realizes that Jesus is, Yahweh, Jehovah, the Lord of Glory. That man who was crucified is the resurrected Lord of Glory. And now he writes 2nd Corinthians 5 with a changed perspective, and he wants to change the perspective of his first century readers.
And my prayer is that where it is needed in our 21st century hearts, that our perspectives would also change. My prayer in coming to the conference was that people would be changed, and it doesn’t need to be from my message, but I do pray that you’re changed, and I’ll tell you something about being changed from ministry at a conference.

[5:42] Most of the change that is going to take place in your life, maybe you’ve just heard some things and you’ve thought about some changes you need to make, well, if those changes are going to be made, your commitment, your determination to make those changes is happening right now.

[5:58] If there’s going to be a difference when you go outside the walls of Eastern Christian school, most likely the commitment to making that change, the determination to make that change, it’s happening right now. It happens to people in their seats.
As you hear God speak to you through the preaching of the Word, and with the grace of God, and the power of the Holy Spirit, and the love of Christ, but there is a determination on your part that change needs to be put into practice.
And you make that decision now. And I pray that we’ll be changed like Paul was. He’s changed in his perspective concerning self, and he’s changed in his perspective concerning the Savior and his sufferings, and he’s changed in his perspective concerning the society of men and women around him. Let’s begin with a new perspective concerning self. And prior to that change in perspective on the Damascus Road and his conversion there in Acts chapter 9, it seems to me that Saul had had quite Quite a view of himself.

[7:07] Seemingly a bit of a self-righteous and a self-seeking man, a Pharisee of the Pharisees.
Proud of his religious heritage and observances, definitely intelligent and well-educated, and he would seem, from the outside perspective, like a remarkable specimen of humanity.
But Saul became aware of something lurking in his heart that was the same spirit of idolatry that was in everyone else’s heart.
And then Christ changed his heart.

[7:43] And what he’s doing now in 2nd Corinthians is letting the Corinthians see a changed heart.
A heart that has been changed by the cross. So he speaks of the sincerity of his motives. Verse number 11. What we are is plain. It’s manifest to God and I hope it is to you. Verse 12 he says his critics, they are taking pride in outward appearances, but for me, it’s the heart.
Paul is no longer motivated by that selfish tendency that we all so easily possess of trying to impress the eye of man. He’s not motivated by that anymore. He’s not motivated by trying to earn favor with God. He’s got a new perspective, a new standing in Christ with God.
Come down to verse 17. Just read the words with me again that you may know so well.
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away and the new has come.

[8:52] Having a proper perception of self hinges on you having a proper perspective of your relationship to Christ and knowing your place in Christ.
In the moment that you trusted Christ, in that moment, you became a new creation.
Whether you felt your heart strangely warmed, like John Wesley and Mr. Gilliland, or whether you didn’t really feel anything physically, you became a new creation.
God has said so. So before you eliminated any old habits, and even if you’re still struggling with a few old habits. If you’re in Christ, God says, He’s brought you into that standing. You are a new creation in Christ. So what Paul has learned on the way to Damascus is that righteousness, righteousness with God is not something that I achieve, but it is something that I receive in Christ. And that’s crucial to get a hold of and to remember for all of your days. So, He’s got a new perspective concerning himself.
It’s a very different thing, by the way. Let me just mention in passing I’m talking about a new perspective of Paul.

[10:09] And some of you might sometime in your Bible study and in your reading, you might pick up some commentaries and you will read about a new perspective on Paul, NPP, new perspective on Paul.
And on one hand, I don’t really want to lose you, obviously, in the middle of a Sunday afternoon in the weeds of man’s strange theologies.
But just in case you come across that term, I want to give you a little caution, actually a big caution, a whole lot of caution.
The new perspective on Paul. Essentially, this is what they are saying. Well, one of the things they are saying is this, that what Paul is really saying when somebody is justified, declared righteous, actually what it means is that they are incorporated into the community of Israel.

[10:54] No. Never. Never in the Bible does the word Israel include Gentile believers.
Never in the Bible. Never. And they will say, this new perspective on Paul will say, well, at conversion you are justified by grace alone, through faith alone, but final justification at the judgment seat, that’s going to hinge partly on your works as a professing Christian. Well, I think you’ve all heard enough clear and good gospel preaching to know that that is incorrect and that your acceptance with God now and forever hinges upon the work of Christ, not your own works.
So a right view of self hinges upon my understanding, my relationship with Christ.
That’s how I have a right view of myself. I am a great sinner, but Christ is a great Savior.

[11:56] The world sends you a different message about self.
And the culture teaches you, yeah, you do need to justify yourself. And the culture says, you’ve got to express yourself. And you’ve got to, you’ve got to, above all, make sure that you’re true to yourself.

[12:22] Sam Albury says, just be true to yourself sounds very intuitive.
It sounds very right in our individualized culture, but it is a catastrophic philosophy.
Jesus said that what is the problem with us is in fact our self.
Out to the human heart comes murder and adultery and evil thoughts, Matthew 15.
So in the Lord’s teaching, the most important thing for me to do with self is not to express.

[12:58] It, but to take up my cross and deny it.
That’s in total opposition to the message of the culture.
Of course, the amazing thing is, in the grace of God, when we do deny ourself, we actually do become the real person that God wants us to be in Christ.
Look at the language of verse 15.
He died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves.
This is a message that Paul is preaching to 1st century Corinth, and it would fit very well in 21st century North America. We must not, we do not justify ourselves, we are not living for ourselves, we are not expressing ourselves. God has not saved us or called us so that we would try to live according to maximum personal, pleasure. He doesn’t call us to make our bodies idols of self-expression. Chapter Therefore, he says, I want Jesus to be displayed in my body.
He doesn’t call us so that we would then set up a life schedule that is dictated by maximal personal convenience.

[14:15] We don’t want to bring the culture of self-entitlement and self-expression and self-aggrandizement, into the church of God.
In the local church should be where we fight the culture. I don’t mean in angry tirades, lashing out like that, but by living selflessly for the one who died for us and was raised.
What does that look like in your life in the local church?

[14:48] It could be small things. Maybe you inconvenience yourself by staying a little bit later when the meeting has ended to visit with people and to talk with some people who could use a little chat.
Maybe you take care of someone’s crying baby during a meeting to give a young mother a rare chance to hear the preached word.

[15:15] Maybe when you’re choosing your course schedule next semester, instead of just choosing the one that is most easy, maybe you think and you choose the one, what would permit me to be with the church as much as possible, to spend time with the Christians?
Those are all little things, I know. Small things lead to big changes.
They are small ways that we can resist the self-centeredness of the culture and live, not for ourselves, but for the one who died for us and was raised.” You remember what’s happening in Corinth?
Culture seeping in to the church, the wisdom of the world infecting the church, and instead of Christ crucified, it’s sinful man glorified.
They’re afflicted with the cult of personality and super-apostle wannabes, and Paul, he’s He’s the true apostle, He’s the true shepherd and He’s showing them the selfless way of Christ.
By the way, just thinking back to our discussion yesterday about shepherds, how do you tell a wolf from a shepherd?
One way, the shepherd feeds the sheep and the wolf eats the sheep.

[16:34] We don’t want our models to be self-seeking men and women. Look for the Christians who you see, they love God, and they love their neighbor as themselves and emulate them.
Paul’s new perspective is that we don’t live for self, but for the one who died for us and was raised.
Well, let’s come to him now, a new perspective concerning the Savior and his sufferings.
Look at verse 16, even if we have known Christ from a worldly perspective, according to the flesh, a natural perspective, no longer, he says. Initially, the idea of a crucified Messiah to Paul, that was a contradiction in terms. So according to the flesh, that made no sense to to Paul, but now with this spiritual perspective, with the Spirit of God, he sees the wisdom of God in Christ’s sufferings, in Christ, God was reconciling the world unto Himself.
I spoke a little bit yesterday about suffering and hardship.
I just want to reemphasize this point.
The cross has given Paul a new perspective on suffering.

[17:56] The cross should change my perspective. It should enhance my perspective and continually be impacting my perspective, and it should change my view of suffering.
May the Lord help me and preserve me in this, because the natural perspective of the world is you can’t reconcile a good God with a world of suffering.
Bad things shouldn’t happen to good people. But when Paul understood it was the will of God for his Christ to suffer, that’s given him a new perspective.

[18:32] Now he’s enduring suffering like Christ did.
Obviously, many of the sufferings of the Lord’s people, they’re not caused directly by the gospel, but we can still view our difficulties and sufferings with a perspective that’s shaped by the gospel.
It may not be caused by the gospel, but we can look at the hardship with a perspective, a viewpoint that is shaped by the gospel.
I read at the beginning of the chapter to remind us that the gospel is a message of resurrection.

[19:12] And so presently, you groan in the earthly tent of your burdened body.
And some of you are experiencing that.
And you’re wearing down. And you feel the frustration and the impact and the weakness of this earthly tent.

[19:32] But the hope of the gospel is that we’re gonna be clothed with the best looking clothing that we could ever wear, sinless body with no effect of sorrow and sickness so God’s salvation is for our entire person spirit soul and body we tend to speak about body soul spirit, but the scriptures in first Thessalonians 5 says may God sanctify, you spirit soul and body but it includes it all and we look for the Savior in a soon coming day he’s going to come and he’s going to transform the body of our humiliation, our humble condition. He’s going to change it to be like his, glorious body. So a gospel-shaped perspective on suffering, it includes the hope of resurrection. I’m going through this now, but it’s just helping me to look forward and to think about what God has for me in Christ. He raised the Lord Jesus, he will raise up our bodies. And the Christ who loved you when he hung on a cross to die for you, the Christ of resurrection glory still loves you deeply. He wants you to be home with him in glory. It’s great to be a Christian.

[20:55] We think of the Lord Jesus loving us as He hung there on the cross, of course He did, but as He’s up high as our high priest, as our shepherd, as our advocate, He loves us.

[21:07] Cares for every pain you experience, and it does us good to keep contemplating the love of the Lord Jesus for us. It did Paul good. He says the love of Christ compels us.
You’ll often read about God’s love. I think three times in the New Testament, you will read the love of Christ. Romans chapter 8, nothing separates us from the love of Christ. Ephesians 3, I pray that you will comprehend the love of Christ. 2 Corinthians chapter 5, the love of Christ, compels us so yes this is why Christ has suffered on the cross because he loved God and he loved us willing to be made sin for us and so it’s not a sign of immaturity to keep enjoying the love of Christ we never want to graduate from Golgotha we never want to get beyond the cross in that sense we always want to cherish this is where Christ has shown his love for me and he still loves me the love of Christ compels us.
And we want to enjoy that love of Christ. And we don’t just want to be a container of that love, but a conduit, a channel of that love to a world around us.
Let’s come there, a new perspective on self, a new perspective on the Savior and suffering.
Lastly, a new perspective on society.
Look at verse 19.

[22:37] In Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself. to himself. Verse 20, we are ambassadors for Christ. Since God is making His appeal through us, we plead on Christ’s behalf.

[22:56] Verse 14, if one died for all, then all died. You see, his perspective was changed by the cross.
And when he contemplated the cross, he comes to this conclusion. If one died for all, then all, died. And if Christ died for all people, I want all people to know Christ. That’s the heart of Paul reflecting the heart of Christ. This is what he’s getting at in verse 16 when he says, We don’t know anyone according to the flesh.
We don’t know anyone from that natural perspective.
Paul says, I don’t look at people based on their religious heritage or their skin color or their culture or the letters after their name.
I see them in relation to Christ.
And every single person I meet, I want to tell them about Christ.
I see them as a candidate for God’s reconciling grace in Christ.
Notice the word all in verse 14.
It’s there twice, right?
If one died for all, then all died. That’s an interesting statement.

[24:08] I’ve purposely saved the interpretation of these couple verses to right now, in the middle of Sunday afternoon, so that if you disagree with me, maybe you’ll be dozing off by now, and then we’ll never know the difference, and we won’t be the worst because of it.
So if you disagree with me, you can just keep snoring.
But I suggest to you two simple things. Both of those all statements refer to the same group of people.
One died for all, then all died. And I would suggest to you that both of those all statements embrace literally all people.

[24:52] I think that’s supported by verse number 16. He says, we do not know anyone, no man from a natural perspective.
Number 19. God was reconciling the world. He’s thinking of the universal potential of the cross work of Christ. Not that everyone will be reconciled. Sadly, definitely not. But that everyone potentially could be reconciled because, one has died as a representative, as a substitute for all. And because of that, Paul appeals to all be reconciled to God. He’s got a message for every physically living person he meets. They should no longer live for themselves. It’s a message for the whole culture. They should no longer live for themselves, but, for the one who died for them and was raised. I’m likely preaching to the choir.
I know. But there’s a couple of practical consequences of that. Let me just give you the reminder then that all who we rub shoulders with, they are candidates for God’s great salvation.

[26:12] Some people who talk in awful ways and do awful things when they leave your office on the weekend.
And sometimes you wonder, is the gospel, I believe, is that enough for somebody like that?
Sure is. Christ died for all. God was reconciling the world to Himself.
Could God save someone like my neighbor? He could.
He could. I’ve got the message that my neighbor needs to hear.
This is why the scriptures give us accounts of such a variety of people who came to Christ, like blind beggars and people in Caesar’s household, and these sexual deviants in the city of Corinth.
They came to Christ and self-righteous, religious zealots, they came to Christ.
And you might meet someone who could be, maybe there’s someone here today, we welcome you.
Someone could be covered in 29 very offensive tattoos.
You could meet someone else and they’re one of the nuns at the Church of the Nativity up the road. God’s salvation relates to all of them. One died for all.
We need to believe that.
We need to believe that in our hearts.

[27:34] Now when I say that, there’s probably one troublemaker here thinking, I would like to corner Matthew at the supper break and ask him how that relates.
How do you relate that unlimited scope and man’s responsibility on the one side with God’s sovereignty on the other side.

[27:56] That’s a time for a long drink of water, isn’t it?
I don’t like to be cornered at supper time, so I’ll just tell you right now.
I would take the words of Mr. Spurgeon to heart, that he doesn’t try to reconcile friends.
And I believe 100% in the sovereignty of God, and I rest in that, and I trust God for that, and I worship God because of that, and I don’t have it all perfectly sorted out to be perfectly honest with you. I would give you the cautionary words of my father that he’s often told us in Halifax. If you have a view on election that hinders your exercise for evangelism, you know you have a problem. And that’s a problem that Paul did not have. And I can worship and trust an omnipotent, sovereign God and still believe from the Bible with One hundred percent clarity that Christ died for all and that God wants to save all.
The Bible is clear on that.
And 2 Corinthians 5 is part of that.
And I want to say that because of so many different messages that you’re hearing and reading at times.
One died for all. Let me bring the implication of that just a bit closer to home.
Some of us have children that are not yet saved.

[29:18] Maybe some of you have wayward adult children, and I know that’s a grief, and the Lord knows that grief.
You’ve raised them with the gospel. They could be saved in a moment.
They could. You don’t know what they’re thinking right today.
But maybe you have a young child. Maybe sometimes when you’re rocking your little baby to sleep.
I don’t rock mine to sleep anymore. I piggyback them to bed.
They pretend they’re sleeping.
Or not, but I let them pretend that. I don’t mind giving them a piggyback a couple more times before they are too heavy for me to carry.
But maybe as you’re rocking your little one to sleep, you never need to ask, did God choose this child?
Irrelevant question, wrong question. The right question you could ask, did Christ die for this child?
Praise the Lord, 2 Corinthians 5 tells us The answer is yes.
So we want to teach them the gospel.
We want to bring them to hear the gospel. Most importantly, we want to live the gospel before them.
May the Lord help us. God can save your child.
Young boy, young girl, God could save you right now.

[30:35] You could be saved right now, because the work to reconcile you back to God has been done in the Lord Jesus at the cross.
That’s something you can receive by grace.
This is a very liberating thing, when we get up to preach the gospel.

[30:50] And I’m preaching a message from God that has the power to change anyone’s life in that meeting.
Sometimes, sometimes before I get up to preach, I’m just, I would tell you, I’m not really feeling it, and it bothers me.
And then maybe someone will give out a hymn like that grand word whosoever and that’s just what I need it, That’s just that’s just the reminder. I need it that I’m going to step up here now, and I’m preaching to whoever and.

[31:15] It’s a message for every single individual and every individual that believes in that moment that they believe the gospel They’re reconciled to God whatever they look like like, whatever they sound like, whatever they smell like, once they are reconciled, they are a new creation in Christ and we should treat them as such. This is why C.S. Lewis said, you have never met, there are no ordinary people. You have never met a mere mortal. Civilizations are mortal. Nations and cultures are mortal.
But it is immortals whom we joke with and work with. Immortal horrors are everlasting splendors.
There are no ordinary people.
The gospel elevates their significance. It’s a wonderful message.
It’s good news indeed. What a noble calling then.
Maybe specific to the apostle, a bit more general to evangelists, but in a sense relevant to all of us. What a noble calling and a noble title to be ambassadors for Christ.

[32:26] And the world will tell you, maybe on your heart a little bit, is to take the gospel somewhere, and the world will tell you, don’t do that.
Let those people be. Don’t you go and destroy their culture.
Well, your goal isn’t likely to destroy their culture, but it’s to see them participate in the new creation.
And the Lord Jesus said, All authority is given to me in heaven and in earth.
There at the beginning of the gospel, according to Matthew, the son of Abraham.
And in Abraham, all the nations of the earth would be blessed.
And at the end of the gospel, go into all the world.
Preach the gospel. No, go and make disciples of all nations.
All nations. Go everywhere. So wherever you go with the message of Christ, you’re not bringing Christ where he doesn’t belong.
All authority given to Him in heaven and in earth.
To shape Paul’s perspective on life.

[33:24] The cross has changed his perspective of self, not self-justification or self-expression, but for me to live is Christ. It’s changed his perspective on sufferings. If Christ, the perfect servant, knew sufferings and I’m following him, then there’s going to be sufferings, but there’s resurrection glory to follow. The cross has changed his view of society.
Christ died for this society.
When I observe Paul, I see a very driven man, a hard-working man, a self-disciplined man, maybe a bit of a stubborn man, but more importantly, I see a man who knew the heart of Christ.
Henry Martin knew the heart of Christ, 19th century missionary to Persia and India.
What he says, the Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become. I think Mr. Martin was on to something.
The Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of missions. You can judge your heart right now, as I know I need to judge mine. But I do think.

[34:46] I do think if I was in closer contact with Christ, I’d be in closer contact with the, society, with the message of reconciliation.
I think if I spent more time apart from the world, alone with God, I would then come back into contact with the world with more spiritual power, with something more meaningful to say, something more of Christ in me because the Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of missions. I think if I was more filled with the wonder of the love of Christ for me, I’d be more keen to tell others of the love of Christ for them. And maybe, maybe I pray. I do pray. Maybe some of you, the Lord will take you to take the gospel to China or to Mexico or Peru or New York City or Detroit, praise the Lord.
Well, you’ll want to be filled with the love of Christ. Elizabeth Elliot says there is no other motivation for missionary service that will see you through the trials of the first year than the love of Christ.
You see, I’m not a big fan. I shouldn’t say that.

[36:04] Scratch that one. More than just trying to tell ourselves that we need to spread the gospel more.
Go give a track, come on, what’s wrong with you? And who have you talked to today?
I just wonder if I had more of Christ in my heart, if I was really appreciating that.
I’d love to go tell more people.

[36:28] Because I’d think about what they’re missing, what I’m enjoying, and then I’d have that sense that I am a debtor to men and women in that sense, that God has entrusted this message to us.
Then I’ll be a conduit, then I’ll be a channel full of blessing to the thirsty hearts around.
I know that most of us aren’t going to be missionaries in a foreign country.
I think the perspective that Paul had for service would do all of us good in any sphere of service.
I think the love of Christ can help you in that selfless sphere of motherhood.
The love of Christ can sustain you in changing diapers and doing umpteen loads of laundry to the glory of God.
It can help you in doing that office work or working in the hospital as unto the Lord.
And it can help you to come with a ministry of encouragement to discourage believers.
And it will help me die to self.
Those who live should no longer live for themselves. May the Lord preserve us from living Christian lives for ourselves, but for the one who died for them and was raised.
So let’s never graduate from Golgotha. Let’s never get beyond the cross.
Let’s look at the world with the perspective not of the flesh, but in relation to Christ.
And let’s look in the mirror in light of the cross.

[37:54] I’ve been crucified with Christ. It’s no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.
And the life that I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me, and gave himself for me.
May the Lord bless you all.

Filed under: Conf Ministry, Conferences, cain-matthew