(Through the Bible) 2 Corinthians - Part 2 — Zac Poonen

The Inner Life of a Servant of God

Let's turn this evening to second corinthians and Continue where we left off in the morning. We look at chapter 5. We saw that second corinthians describes the inner life of the man of God Whom God can use to do his work on earth.

The number of things we see here which we can Consider. And I believe if you are serious about Serving God as he wants us to the Lord has given us the apostle paul as an example an Example that we can follow because he said follow me as I follow Christ Jesus is our example.

But sometimes we wonder how to Deal with the practical situations, which we face for example. We don't see Jesus establishing churches and appointing elders and things like that and there we have an example in the apostle paul and A man who went through a lot of persecution in his life, and he reveals to us The inner secret of his life in second corinthians more than any other letter in Verse 9 he speaks about his ambition.

See all young people have ambitions. The world is full of young people who have ambitions. The problem is they've got the wrong ambitions. A Lot of people their ambition today is to make money or become great or famous or Do research and get a name for themselves so many things.

Paul also had an ambition. When he was converted he says our ambition we have as our ambition. Whether at home or absent that means whether we are in heaven or absent from heaven. In the previous context He says our home is in heaven.

But or in on and whether we are there or here it doesn't make a difference. Whether we are at home with the Lord Like it says in verse 8 or absent from the body or it doesn't make a difference whether I'm there or here.

My ambition is to please him. In other words When I get to heaven listen to this carefully my ambition and goal is not going to change. Can you honestly say that? That when you get to heaven Your ambition and goal is not going to change.

A lot of believers Whose ambition on earth is something else think that once they die they get to heaven okay? Then we'll have an ambition to please God. No, he says whether at home or absent whether I'm here or there it makes no difference my ambition is going to be exactly the same and That is the man who is in tune with God because he's in tune with heaven's values and He will be the most effective Servant of God on earth because he's in tune with heaven.

The Fear of the Lord and Accountability

Trouble with a lot of Christian workers today is they are not in tune with God or heaven. And then he says Verse 11 he speaks about the fear of the Lord in the King James Version it says the terror of the Lord and Knowing the fear of the Lord we persuade men.

In what context is he saying that? He's saying that in verse 10 We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. That everyone may be rewarded in his body. For the things that he has done whether good or bad so He says I know that one day.

I'm going to stand at the judgment seat of Christ, and I'm going to be Evaluated for every single thing that I ever did in my whole life. Whether it's good or bad the words the thoughts The motives what I did with my body.

It's all going to be evaluated, and I'm going to be rewarded accordingly or I'm going to lose a reward. See this judgment seat of Christ is different from the judgment the great white throne judgment of God.

Which is only for unbelievers? This is a judgment seat only for believers. Believers are going to be judged and rewarded according to their faithfulness, and he says since that is true We know the fear of the Lord we are accountable.

It's something like supposing you're working it for a company and They give you 500 ,000 rupees in cash. And say please get on the train here and take this to our headquarters in Delhi. I don't think you'll get much sleep on that train.

And the three nights you spend in it because You can't afford to lose this and I don't think you'll take any of that money and live lavishly on the journey all along. Because when you reach the other end and you present this to the headquarters of your company.

You'll have to account for every rupee in that packet. They gave you and you'd be so careful. You would not leave the compartment. Leaving that package alone there now Paul realized that life is like that.

The number of days God gives me 365 days a year. Many opportunities he gives me he gives me time. He gives me money. He's given me intelligence. He's given me many many things in this body and when I reach the other end of the journey I'm going to be evaluated for every single day of my life on earth and so the same care.

That this man has who is going in the train with that money all had with his life. He says I know the fear of the Lord and therefore I persuade men and. Then he goes on to say It is the love of Christ that controls us.

There are two things that should motivate us in our life one is The reverence and fear of the Lord mentioned in verse 11 and the other is the love of Christ. The love of Christ controls me he says he was motivated by love in everything he did.

And that was a secret of his life. And then he tells us in verse 15. You know We've already considered in Romans 6 this great truth that Paul kept on speaking about. In the last part of verse 14 if one died all died with him.

He speaks about it in Romans. He speaks about it in Corinthians. He speaks about it in Galatians. I'm crucified with Christ one died all died. This is one of the unique revelations that God gave Paul.

We don't see Peter and John and James writing about it. But they all know about the forgiveness of sins, but one of the unique revelations that God gave Paul was that when Jesus died in God's eyes we all died with him and So he says if we all died and we rose again with him.

This is one of Paul's great themes. Verse 15 that now that we live We should no longer live for ourselves, but for him who died and rose again for us now. I've often said If you ask people, why did Christ die?

The answer that most people give is from 1 Corinthians 15 Christ died for our sins. Correct, but that's only one part of the answer. The other part of the answer is here verse 15 Christ died. Read it.

It's in your Bible Christ died. That we should never again Live for ourselves, but for him how many of you know that Christ died for that purpose? See that's the other side of the coin. One side of the coin says Christ died for our sins.

The other side is Christ died that I might never again live for myself. So if you are living for yourself you are frustrating the purpose With which Christ died. Did you understand that for example if you keep on living in sin?

You are Taking advantage of the fact that Christ died for us since you are taking advantage of the grace of God and Anyone any believer who lives for himself We have to say Has not really understood the full purpose which which Christ died.

The aim of the devil is to blind our eyes to the full truth of God if he can Help us to make us see just a little bit of it. Then he succeeded either he tries to prevent us from seeing anything and if we see Something he makes sure that we don't see the full thing.

He says okay. You've seen Christ died for our sins. I'm gonna make sure you don't see anymore. But Christ died that we might never again live for ourselves. He died to deliver us from a self Centered life and then we discover when we put these two verses together 1 Corinthians 15 3 and this verse.

The root of all sin is self-centeredness that a man lives in sin because he lives for himself and As long as you live for it yourself, you will never have victory over sin. It's like keeping the root of a tree still there and Every time something comes out from that you're chopping it off cutting it off cutting it off cutting off.

It'll keep on coming. The only solution is pull out the root and then you won't have to keep on using your scissors to keep Cutting off that plant that keeps coming up from that root. Now many people they've got rid of sin on the surface, but the root is still there the root of living for oneself.

I Want to say to all of you my brothers and sisters That you'll never get victory over sin as long as you live for yourself. That's impossible. Because the root is there and you can pray cry fast. You say Lord deal with this root help me to die Once and for all to decide in my life.

That from this day onwards, I will never make a decision With me as the center of my life. I will never make a decision in terms of how will this benefit me? Do you know the number of people who make decisions in Christian work by this question?

How will this benefit me? How will this benefit my family? Well, you keep making decisions like that. That's how every Unconverted godless sinner in the world also makes decisions. How do they make their decisions?

How will this benefit me and my family. And you do Christian work and you also ask the same question. How will this benefit me and my family. You are no different from him except that he's probably an atheist and you go to church.

Inside you're just the same Jesus died to deliver us from that so that never again in our life. Do we make a decision by how will this benefit me? But we make a decision by Will this glorify God how will this benefit God and his kingdom and his purpose?

If I can find people here who are determined to live like that from today How will my life benefit God? How can this decision I take benefit God? How will my going and living in this place benefit God and his kingdom and his purpose?

How am I choosing to settle down in this place benefit God and his purpose? How will my working with this group or that church of this organization benefit God in his purpose? I tell you you get a hundred people like that.

We can turn India upside down. It's very difficult. Boss majority of people in Christian work. I tell you I've seen it for 41 years. Seek their own. They've never understood this verse. That we are not supposed to live for ourselves anymore.

They skip verses like that and go to verses like verse 17 old things are passed away. And all things are become new we have become a new creation. Let me ask you even if you go to verse 70 what are the old things that have passed away?

That should have passed away that is living for myself. Has it passed away. Has everything become new. Has my ambition become new. Have my goals become new. Okay verse 20 we are ambassadors for Christ and we are Entreating you that's a tremendous calling to be an ambassador for Jesus Christ and That is why there's a dignity about us.

The Dignity of Christ's Ambassadors

Let me ask you a question even the ambassador of some very poor country in India will have a certain dignity about him and. Then the bigger the country and the more powerful the country the more. The dignity in an ambassador.

Now we live in a world where we have one superpower the United States of America. Think of the ambassador of the United States of America in India. Can you imagine the dignity with which he conducts himself because?

He knows that he is representing the one superpower in the world. Okay, he won't do anything cheap or undignified. He won't go like a beggar. Asking people for money, and he won't do anything which dishonors the name of his country.

No, can you imagine the ambassador of the United States of America coming to your house and say can you please give us some money? To help our country. Can you imagine that? If such a white man comes with a suit and tie and says I'm an ambassador of America.

We want some money because our country's having a tough time even ten rupees will do. You will say you're a liar. You're not the ambassador of the United States. I cannot believe that the ambassador of the United States behave like that.

But if another man comes in as I'm an ambassador of the Lord Jesus Christ, can you please give ten rupees forever? We say yeah sure. Why do we believe the other person because we believe the ambassador of America is way up there and the ambassador of the Lord Jesus Christ is way Down here a beggar.

Do you know that there is one superpower in the universe? Not not the world the world superpower. We know I'm talking about the superpower in the universe. Which is that that's God. It's a kingdom of God is Jesus Christ and if that chap may be the ambassador of the greatest superpower in the world, but With all humility I can say that I'm an ambassador of the superpower in the world of the universe.

Not just the world and that's what you are. That's at least that's what you say you are. But do you conduct yourself with the dignity of an ambassador of the one superpower in the whole universe? I Tell you the thing that has grieved my heart and made me so sad Is when I see the name of Jesus Christ dishonored by the undignified cheap way in which People go on begging and Say they are ambassadors for Jesus Christ.

Very very sad I you know, there's a verse in Psalm 50 which says the Lord says if I were hungry, I wouldn't tell you I own the cattle on a thousand hills God says and That's what a servant of God says if I were hungry, I wouldn't tell you.

I'd tell my Master in heaven if you're in touch with him. He listened to you you see an ambassador in a country has to always be in touch with his home country. He cannot afford to be out of touch with his home country even for a single day.

This is how we are called to live. I Long with all my heart to see the day in India. When we shall have servants of God there may be very poor. They may not they may not afford may be able to afford anything more than a bicycle.

Maybe they cannot even afford a scooter. But I want to see men and women who've got a dignity. Even if they are poor and they wear very simple clothes and they can only wear Chapels and ride a cycle and live in some village.

But with a dignity of an ambassador of the greatest superpower in the universe. Is that the impression we get of Christian workers? No. India has got a picture of Christian workers who are beggars. They are just dignified beggars.

Always asking for money always running after rich people. What a tragedy. That's not an Ambassador of Jesus Christ always remember my brother sister. If you are a servant of God, you're an ambassador of Jesus Christ, wherever you go when you travel in a train.

Remember, you're an ambassador of Jesus Christ when you travel in a bus. You're an ambassador of Jesus Christ wherever you go you're an ambassador of Jesus Christ chapter 6. He speaks here in verses 3 to 10 about the way he Conducts himself as a servant of God.

He says in nothing. I want the ministry no giving no offense verse 3 to anyone. So that the ministry does not get a bad name as an ambassador. He doesn't want to do anything that will bring a bad name on the ministry and so in everything.

This is a wonderful verse in Everything verse 4. I want to commend myself as a servant of God in endurance. In affliction in everything in hardships in distress and beatings imprisonments labor sleeplessness hunger purity knowledge patience kindness and So on sometimes verse 8 glory sometimes dishonor.

People appreciate us people condemn us. Evil report good report people say good things about us. People say bad things about us. But we are the same servants of God in good report bad report. When people slander us people say good things.

Some people call us deceivers. Some people call us true servants of God. To both we manifest ourselves as servants of God. To the world we are unknown but among God's people we are well-known verse 9 as dying.

But yet we live we go through so many sufferings, but we don't die till God's time comes we live and as Punished verse 9 or disciplined by God. But not put to death. Sorrowful, but yet rejoicing. Sorrowful because we are concerned about so many people lost in sin.

Concerned because so many believers are carnal that's the sorrow not sorrow because of people are hurting me. Sorrowful because of the sorrows of other people and Yet always rejoicing because I joined the Lord as poor yet making many people rich.

Spiritually having nothing. Yet possessing all things. I possess all of heaven and earth. It's at my disposal. Whatever I need God provides me, but in actual terms of bank account may be low and we may be living at times from day to day.

God takes care of us. This is how Paul lived. He did not believe in a prosperity gospel at all. And then he says about his heart towards these Corinthians. The Corinthians were very narrow-hearted towards Paul and Paul said Our heart is wide Open to you.

I Believe that's very important in our service to other people that our hearts must always be wide open towards them. Even if they are verse 12 Narrow-hearted towards us you are restrained in your own affections.

You are narrow-hearted towards me, but I'm wide-hearted towards you. There's a little poem I read once Which said something like this. They drew a circle that pushed me out. They called me a heretic and various names like that and Drew a circle which only included their own people but love and wisdom.

Told me how to win the victory. I drew a circle that took them also inside. That's God's way. Let the other people draw a circle which does not include you. We are the only ones. If you love and you have wisdom you'll draw a bigger circle and take them in.

That's how Paul was his heart was large. You cannot serve God if your heart is narrow just towards people in your denomination. Or people who agree with you and everything people who see everything exactly like you.

Many people are like that. But your own service for God will be limited unless your heart is large towards all of God's people. Then we have this wonderful verse about working together with unbelievers.

Separation and the Unequal Yoke

Verse 14 do not be bound together with unbelievers. Do not be yoked together. That was an Old Testament law that you must not yoke an ox and a donkey together. You must not yoke be yoked in partnership with unbelievers in business.

For example because in business they may want to do some cheating and unrighteous practices, which you don't agree with in Christian work. You cannot. It's not just with unbelievers with people who don't have your sense of values.

That is an unequal yoke. See your standards are so high and His standards are so low. Can you imagine putting a yoke between two bullocks one whose height is this much and one whose height is this much?

It'll be difficult for them to plow together. Unequal you may say he's a believer, but look at his sense of values. He allows a lot of things which you will not allow. So that's an unequal yoke in Marriage if you marry someone who does not have your sense of values and your goal and your vision.

That's an unequal yoke. Don't be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. Because what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness and light with darkness so here's it speaks about Calling us to be separate.

Verse 17. Therefore come out from their midst and be separate. Don't mingle with People who don't know the Lord in work. I'm not saying in your office or in your neighborhood or your relatives. We have to mingle with unbelievers in the world but when you work for example, I Want to speak very plainly here and Well, I hope you don't get offended with the truth.

But I find there are people who are believers in some denominational churches and In those denominations the leaders of those churches are unconverted. I Mean they themselves will say our bishop is unconverted.

I Say then what in the world are you doing in a church where your leader is unconverted? The leader doesn't know God if he's not born again. The Bible says he's a child of the devil and It doesn't make a difference whether he's an archbishop or a bishop or anything if he's not born again God's not gonna see whether he's got a cross around his neck or wears a purple dress or a white dress.

Is he born again? I'm really amazed at People who say I'm born again, but my bishop my leader is not born again. What are you doing sitting in that group then? You should be getting out of there. How can you follow a leader who's a child of the devil.

Or don't you believe? That there are only two categories of people in the world according to 1 John 3 10 Those who are children of God and children of the devil. That's what it says. I Believe a lot of believers don't believe that.

They think somehow because God sees a cross around the neck and take him to heaven. I'm sorry to say he won't. He sees the heart. Don't be fooled. There's a lot of compromise in the lives of many believers if and it's not only people who are unconverted.

There are people who know that their pastor is a crook. He's just out to make money. I say what in the world are you doing following such a pastor? Your leader is a crook and you're following him sitting in that church.

Sad. Jesus said the blind leaders lead the blind people. They both fall into the ditch if you want to avoid the ditch don't follow these blind leaders. That's true. Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.

Come out and be separate. Touch not the unclean thing and I will be a father to you. I have never in my life regretted obeying that command and When you obey that command chapter 7 verse 1. Having these promises beloved.

Let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God. If you want a perfect holiness in your life, you have to cleanse yourself from all filthiness of flesh and spirit these external filthinesses of associations that defile you the internal filthinesses of motive attitude.

Cleanse yourself and perfect holiness. God's will is. Are you holy. You must perfect your holiness and you can only do it in the fear of God if you're afraid of men. You're afraid. What will that person say?

What will that person say? What will my relatives say? What am I uncle say? What am I auntie say? I want to tell you you'll never perfect holiness in your whole life. You got a perfect holiness in the fear of God.

You got a fear only one person God. But God has sent in his word stand for that and Then Paul says in verse 2 again. I've got a lot of room in my heart for you. Please make some room in your heart for me.

Have I taken advantage of you? No, have I wronged any of you? Have I corrupted any of you? No. Then why don't you receive me? In chapter 7 We read of. You know when Paul wrote that very verse 11 We read of that very strong rebuke that he gave to the church in Corinth in the first letter.

Telling them you put that man out of your midst. You're allowing that man to live there and you're corrupting your church and when they got that letter they really took it seriously and it says I Caused you sorrow verse 8 by my letter.

Sometimes when God's servants write to us or speak to us. They have to speak very hard or write a letter, which is very strong and it causes sorrow and he says. But it caused you Sorrow only for a while and I don't regret it verse 8 because the sorrow verse 10, which is according to the will of God produces a repentance that leads to salvation and What earnestness?

That repentance brought godly sorrow vindication of yourself. What fear longing zeal. They were they took Paul's letter seriously, and this is how true repentance is in chapter 8 and chapter 9 Paul writes to them to collect money.

Giving to the Poor Rather Than Funding Personal Ministry

To give to the poor saints in Jerusalem now notice very carefully. He was not telling them to collect money for his ministry. Now some people use this passage. Chapter 8 and chapter 9 say Paul wrote to people to collect money.

We also tell people to collect money. Paul was not telling people to collect money for his ministry. He was not even going to touch one paisa of that money himself. We have every right to ask rich believers to give money to help poor believers if we don't touch it ourselves.

That's the example of the Apostle Paul. He never Touched one paisa of that himself. He trusted God for his needs when he could not get enough. He stitched tents and earned something and sometimes he just went without food.

But he would not lower his standards because he was an ambassador of the world's greatest universe's greatest superpower. And if he was hungry, he was not going to tell anyone except God. So here he urged them To collect money.

He said you fellows have got a lot of money and there in Jerusalem. There are poor believers. Please provide for them. I believe it's good and a good example here for every servant of God to have his eyes open to see where Believers under his responsibility are poor and urge rich believers to help them very good example.

Because those rich believers may not know about these poor believers. So it's good to tell them here's someone who can you who can be profited by your money? In fact in the New Testament We never read a single example of any apostle or any servant of God Asking people to give money for their ministry never.

They only told God. Never find an example like that anywhere in Scripture, but they did many times urge that they should give money to the poor and so that's what we see in chapter 8 and We read there of the churches in Philippi who Gladly gave even though they were very poor and then he gives the example of Jesus in verse 9.

He says, you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ Though he was rich. Yet for your sake he became poor. That you through his poverty might become rich. He says think of what Jesus did he had everything in heaven and he came down to earth and became poor.

He hung on the cross stripped of everything so that we Can become rich. So what is he saying? Therefore? Is he saying that therefore you should just enjoy your riches? No. He says follow the example of Jesus.

Now some people take that verse and say Jesus became poor so that I can be rich. Now I'm rich. That's not what he's saying. He says look at the example of Jesus Who Gave up everything for the sake of others.

You also be willing to give up everything for the sake of others. He's not telling you to be rich. He says if you become rich help those people who are poor like Jesus who was rich and came down and became poor you see How you can take a verse of Scripture and misunderstand it misquote it for your own benefit.

You want to justify all the money you make and that you hoard up for yourself and you say well Jesus became poor that I might Be rich, but that's not the meaning of that verse. It's so clear in the context that that verse means you follow the example of Jesus Who helped others who were poor and you must help others who are poor?

That's the context of the whole chapter if you take a verse out of context you can teach almost anything you like and then you'll build a cult like this prosperity cult today and Verse 20 and 21 He says in distributing this money, we are very careful that nobody should discredit us.

Because we have a great regard. That we must do what is honorable not only in the sight of the Lord but also in the sight of men. Paul was very careful in the collecting of this money that Nobody should say that somebody is swiping some of this money for himself.

So Paul said He himself would not Take that money or Transport it, but we have sent Titus verse 18 Titus and we have sent along with Titus verse 18 another brother and These two brothers he would never send one person to transport money always two people who have a good testimony and they Will take that money and give it to the church in Jerusalem.

It's very important to be very clear in the matter of money now chapter 9 he says. And verse 6 Again, he's talking about the subject of giving. He says if you are very miserly in your giving You will reap also like that.

That means if you sow a little bit of seed. You'll get a little bit of a harvest. If you sow plenty of seed you get a bigger harvest. Now many people use this verse to urge you to give money to them particularly television evangelists.

They'll say you must put seed. Put that seed into our ministry and here's I address and send money here and you'll get a big harvest. These are hucksters and hoaxes who are out to deceive simple believers.

All was not saying put a seed into my ministry, you know, I'm serving the Lord. I'm doing all these things send some money to me and you'll get a harvest. This is how people misquote the scripture was Paul saying that you should give money to him.

No. He says go and give it to other people. You remember what Jesus told the rich young ruler who came to him? Beautiful words go sell what you have give it to the poor. He didn't say sell what you haven't come and give the money here because we've got a lot of needs.

We've got to support all these people in their families. No, he said you give your money to the poor and You come. I want you without your money. Where in the world? Do you find servants of the Lord like that who can tell a rich person brother?

I don't want your money. I want you go and give your money to any Christian group or organization you come To our church and let me build you up into the likeness of Jesus Christ. We are not one bit interested in your money.

That's how Jesus was. But it's almost impossible to find a pastor like that. Who will tell a rich person in his church give your money somewhere else and you come here and listen to the Word of God. I do it all the time.

That we were not interested in money. We're interested that you become like Christ in your life. And if you want to give to the Lord, there are so many places you can give. There are poor people there.

There are poor people there. Paul says give it to them. I'm an ambassador of the world's Universe's greatest superpower so You take care of these other people. That is the dignity of a man of God. Please remember that in chapter 9 he goes on to say God loves verse 7 a cheerful giver in the Old Testament.

The emphasis was on how much you give in the New Testament. The emphasis is on how you give cheerfully or reluctantly. It's not a question of percentage. It's not quantity but quality. You notice that throughout the New Testament you find this emphasis on quality your service quality.

The type of church you build quality even your giving not quantity 10 but quality. Whatever you give give cheerfully but remember if you give stingily you'll reap stingily. I believe there are many many believers who are poor because they have given stingily to God and Therefore they don't have a ministry in their life.

They are miserly in their giving. Be large-hearted in your giving to God be rich towards God. Many people have gotten to a lot of financial difficulty. Because they have not learned to give to God generously.

In my single days when I was single and I didn't have any much expense. What God gave me I could give freely and Through the years when I got married and got into a lot of need. Financially I can say today I never had to get into debt.

I never had to borrow at any time even though there were times of great financial difficulty because God repaid. What was given earlier? So learn to give and you will find. Your financial problems are solved but give wisely.