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For those of you have read The Hobbit, kudos and welcome to the cool kids club. For those of you who haven’t, get on it man. But as we start today, I want to share a brief story from it as it ties into our sermon for today.

In the Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins joins a crew of 12 dwarves and Gandalf to reclaim the treasure and homeland from a terrifying dragon named Smaug. As Bilbo is deciding if he should go on the journey, the dwarves and Gandalf make it clear that is not going to be a walk in the park. It’s going to be a grueling journey from the Shire where Bilbo lives to the Lonely mountain.

For the dwarves, they’re motivated to endure this difficult journey for the chance to reclaim their homeland, reclaim their treasure, and reclaim their kingdom. For Gandalf, he’s motivated to endure the difficult journey because he’s a wise wizard who knows the Lonely Mountain will serve as a strategic location in a war to come. For Bilbo, he’s motivated to endure the difficult journey because he realizes his life is rather quite dull and he desires a bit of an adventure thanks to the influence of his Took family ancestors.

So, they go out on this journey – it’s brutal. There are nasty trolls who almost eat the group, there’s a fire-breathing dragon, there’s elves who imprison the group, and there’s this massively chaotic battle at the end between five armies. But, Gandalf, Bilbo, and the dwarves did not give up on their journey. They were motivated or compelled by something strong enough to push them in their journey. To help them take one more step when it seemed like they couldn’t go on.

In the same way, what is compelling you? What is motivating you in your faith? As we start this new season of ministry at HBIC and pursue growth and changes, what is motivating us to do that? Like the dwarves, Bilbo, and Gandalf, we will face difficulties on the journey ahead of us. If we’re compelled by the right things, we will endure and even thrive with abundant life that Jesus promises us in John 10:10. But if we’re compelled by the wrong things, we don’t stand a chance. If we’re compelled to pursue missions, outreach, discipleship, etc., from the wrong place, we will cause immense harm to the body of Christ. To help us avoid that, we’re going to be heading to 2 Corinthians 5:14-15.

As we get ready to read this passage of Scripture, you need to understand a few things:

1.      The church at Corinth was started by Paul but recently, they’ve fallen victim to false teaching as well as tolerating an unrepentant leader who is involved in sexual immorality.

2.     When Paul last visited the church at Corinth, some folks there treated him poorly – especially this group of people that Paul sarcastically calls: “Super Apostles.” The super apostles make fun of Paul by saying he’s not eloquent in speech, not really an apostle, and isn’t even that smart.

3.     2 Corinthians is Paul’s re-affirmation to his ministry calling, a correction of the Corinthian church, and Paul explaining why he endures such suffering in planting churches and preaching the Gospel to the gentiles.

That final point is most important for us: people in the Corinthian church were accusing Paul of being out of his mind for doing what he does. So, why does Paul do what he does?

Let’s read 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 to find out.

During today’s sermon, I want us to better understand how Paul was compelled by Christ’s love so that we can better understand how we are compelled by Christ’s love. Because if we are deeply changed people by the love of Christ, we have no other option than to go out and share that news with others. We cannot help ourselves.

To be compelled by Christ’s love, check your own heart.

Later on in 2 Corinthians, Paul rebukes the Super-Apostles by reluctantly (he doesn’t want to boast but has to to deal with them) listing out how he suffered for the sake of the Gospel: he says he’s worked much harder, been in prison multiple times, flogged by his persecutors, beaten, shipwrecked, has gone without food for weeks, and more. His point is this: he’s no sissy. He’s compelled to undergo his struggles because is deeply loved by Christ.

If Paul was compelled by being well-known or being popular, he would not have endured this suffering. He would’ve called it quits long ago. But Christ’s love for Paul is the fuel of his ministry. If it wasn’t for that, he would have given up long ago. Because Christ did not give up on him, Paul isn’t giving up on Christ. That’s why he says with confidence in 1 Timothy: “Christ Jesus came to save sinners. Of whom, I am the worst. But, God chose me to display his immense patience and mercy.” Elsewhere, Paul talks up about how he doesn’t live for himself but rather he lives for the son of man who loved him and gave up his life for Paul.

He was so compelled by Christ’s love that he was willing to go to such great lengths. But, is this the case for you? What are you compelled or motivated by?

In Paul’s letters, there’s a man who is mentioned that always breaks my heart. In Philemon and Colossians, Paul shouts out a specific man as being a co-worker with him in the Gospel. His name is Demas. In 2 Timothy which is Paul’s farewell letter as he’s about to die, he mentions that Demas has deserted him because Demas loved the world. We don’t know much else about Demas but I often think about him: here was a man that labored alongside someone like Paul, who likely saw countless miracles performed, who started churches, and more. But, he loved the world. Could it have been that he found something else more compelling than Christ’s love for him? What compelled others like Timothy, Luke, and John Mark to stay by Paul’s side to the very end?

And my question for all of us here is: what are you compelled by? What do you find extremely motivating? Why do you do certain things or pursue things even in the church? A few weeks ago, I talked about the extreme importance of staying connected to the vine of Jesus. Or as Eugene Peterson put it: “making yourself at home in Jesus.” It’s from that place where we can serve God correctly. But if we’re not careful, we can find ourselves compelled by things that compete with God and actually go against his plans and desires for our lives.

We may not bow down to a golden calf like the Israelities but we bow down to something. We are worship and meaning machines – if Christ’s love isn’t your motivator, you have an idol somewhere else.

On your notes sheet, I included an idolatry chart for you to look at. It may not cover every single idol that exists but it covers 4 main ones:

·       Comfort

·       Approval

·       Control

·       Power

To get an idea if you have one of these things as an idol, you should look at that worst nightmare column. For example, if you have approval as an idol, your worst nightmare is rejection. So what do you do? Your heart is motivated by winning the approval of someone or something. So, you start to do things from a place of wanting to please others. If someone asks you to do something, you’ll be terrified of disappointing them so you do it anyways which is why your biggest problem emotion is cowardice or fear. If I start to announce serving opportunities, you’re the person who is always going to say yes even when your plate is totally full. A textbook phrase of people with approval as a core idol is saying: happy to help, it was no big deal (when in fact it was a massive deal). What’s the Gospel solution for you? A reminder that God loves you even when the world rejects you or you disappoint others. When you start to understand that, God’s love is on the throne of your heart not man’s approval and it’s his love that compels you.

For another example, if you have control as an idol, your worst nightmare is uncertainty. You go to extremes to plan (even though planning is really good). You despise surprise birthday parties. If things feel shaky, your anxiety sky rockets. You know you need to take more risks or steps of faith but you hold onto control with an iron fist. You like to say things like: “Let’s be realistic.” What’s the Gospel solution for you? A reminder that God’s blessings include his faithful provision and presence with you, even in the face of uncertainty. When you start to understand that, God’s love is what compels you to step out in faith even though it’s scary.

You can go through the whole chart. But, it’s my goal to show you these core idols as ways they compete with Christ’s love in our heart. You’re either compelled by Christ’s love or something on this list most likely.

Ask yourself the hard question: what motivates me in my life? Is it Christ’s love that’s compelling me? Or is it something else?

To be compelled by Christ’s love, reflect often on the beauty of Christ.

Look with me at verse 14: it says we are convinced that one died for all and therefore all died. In this passage, convinced really means that Paul has meant a lot of time and effort meditating on Jesus and what he did. He hasn’t just thought: “Oh, cool, Jesus died for my sins. Nice.” Then, he went on with is life. It implies he’s stared deeply at the riches of Christ and found Christ beautiful. As he hears the story of Jesus over and over again, he is strengthened. As he sees the ways Christ is caring for his church, he is emboldened. As Paul comes to a deeper understanding of Christ’s love for him, he feels strongly compelled to pursue his ministry and to continue pushing ahead when it’s hard. As Paul sees that Jesus is the total fulfillment of everything that God promised in the Old Testament, he is joyful.

Because of that, Paul decides to continue to serve him, even when things don’t make sense or when he feels like God may have abandoned him. In the Screwtape Letters, Screwtape (the senior demon) says to the Junior Demon (Wormwood) that there is nothing more dangerous than a Christian whose situation seems to indicate that God has abandoned him or allowed him to suffer a great deal but this same Christian obeys God anyways even though he can’t see or experience him. Where does that sort of obedience come from? It comes from a greater understanding of what Jesus has done for us and trusting that he’ll come through. But, you only get to that place when you’ve reflected on Jesus often.

For instance, take a look at this painting and I’m going to channel all my art critique skills from college for this part: it’s by a really well-known painter Rembrandt and it is called “The Return of the Prodigal Son.” At first glance, you get the general idea. It’s the loving father embracing the son who has run away. You see some other characters like the older brother who stayed behind, a household servant. But as you start to stare at this painting more, you start to see other things:

·       The younger son who ran away has shoes that are falling apart

·       The younger son still possesses a small sword on his hip which is the only thing he still possesses from his former life

·       Notice the deep warm light that covers the father and younger son while the rest of the painting is dark

·       The father has both hands on his son’s shoulders – one flexed to represent strength, the other relaxed to represent tenderness

·       The older son stands off indifferently to the side, unwilling to enter the center of the frame

There’s more in this piece of artwork but I think you get the point. You can’t grasp the full beauty, meaning, or story behind this piece of art by just taking a quick glance. It requires careful observation and, in my case, it took reading a great little book called: “The Return of the Prodigal Son” by Henri Nouwen where he mentions all these things.

Likewise, a brief glance at the person of Jesus won’t give you the full picture of him. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, unsure of the future in the world, wondering what God’s doing, can I ask you something: when’s the last time you read the Gospels? When’s the last time you turned off the TV and read a Christian book? When’s the last time you turned on worship music? When’s the last time you prayed for more of his presence in your life or for him to show you more of his beauty? When’s the last time you simply prayed the way Jesus taught us to pray?

Next week, it’s going to be the first Sunday of Lent. To help you reflect on the beauty of Christ, I ordered Lent Devotionals from one of my favorite authors: Paul David Tripp. He has a gift of applying the gospel to everyday life.

It’s a 30-day devotional (Lent is 40 days so you have grace if you miss some days) that covers topics from Genesis to Revelation highlighting Jesus death and resurrection as we prepare our hearts for the easter season. I want each household to have a copy of this – fathers and husbands, lead your family well by picking this up. Those of you who are single, unmarried, or don’t have a believing husband, pick one up too. I promise it’ll bless you.

To be compelled by Christ’s love, consider what he did to redeem you.

As we wrap up today, take a look at verse 15 if you still have your bible open. It says: “And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”

Put a different way, if you profess faith in Christ, you are no longer your own. That’s why the New Testament authors often use the language of Lord or Master in describing Jesus – he dictates our actions. God is a good, loving, kind, and trustworthy father and we are his children. And like any good father, he lovingly requires something of us. Fathers don’t do their kids any favors by failing to challenge them or calling them to a bigger purpose than themselves.

I’m a person who 125% affirms that it is by grace through faith in Christ that we have been saved. It is a free gift offered to every single person to join Jesus in the renewal of all things and to live life in the Kingdom of God. I worry that in the spirit of evangelism crusades: we have offered generations of Christians the promise of an easy forgiveness. We’ve offered people a sinner’s prayer and a formula to ‘get right’ with God. There’s a lot of causes for the decline of the church in the USA but I think one of the biggest causes that’s not talked about is we’ve simply lowered the bar for what it means to be a Christian.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously said: “Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance... grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”

But, why is that true? Why does Jesus expect so much of us? Jesus tells us to count the cost of following him because we must die to self to follow him. It’s a harder message to swallow than a message that preaches forgiveness without repentance or grace without discipleship or grace without the cross. But, here’s the thing: Jesus doesn’t ask us to go someplace he himself didn’t go.

Jesus lived out exactly what 2 Corinthians 2:14-15 is asking us to do. Jesus did not live for himself; he lived to do the Father’s will – what does he say the night of his betrayal? Not my will, but your will. Hebrews 12 tells us to fix our eyes on Jesus who is the author and perfector of faith. For the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sits down at the right hand of the father. That joy that was set before him? It was the joy of knowing that through his suffering, he would usher in his new creation and begun the work of redeeming all things – his people, his world, and his church.

He scorned its shame for you because he knew it would lead to joy. He went through a humiliating death on a cross because he knew it would lead to joy. He absorbed our sin, defeated hell and death because he knew it would lead to joy.

Worship and prayer team, you guys can come on up awhile.

And in case I’m unclear: this is never about earning God’s love. Rather, this is a natural reaction when we’ve understood what Christ has done for us. It’s a reasonable response when you grasp the death and resurrection of Christ. Don’t allow shame to be what you’re compelled by. Since Paul grasped Christ’s love for him, he was was able to stay strong during extremely difficult trials: because he knew God fiercely loved him and had redeemed him. He knew God didn’t love him anymore because of his missionary journeys. Paul just knew how much God loved him that he couldn’t help himself: Paul wanted more to people to experience that love.

This year and in the years to come, there are going to be opportunities to serve in new and likely difficult ways. There are going to be ways to serve that are going to cost you something. There are going to be ways to grow through deeper discipleship but it’s going to cost you something. There are going to be ways to serve the least of these in our community but it’s going to cost you something.  But, I’ll tell you what: it’s going to be worth it.

Like I mentioned at the start, we are going to do a big push for easter this year. Be praying about who you will invite. There may be people who think it’s weird that you’re inviting them to it or they may make fun of you behind your back. But because Christ’s love compels you, you’re going to do it anyways.

To close, I want to share a quote from Tim Keller. He said: “Jesus may ask of you far more than you planned to give but he can give to you infinitely more than you dared ask or think.” What do we do when Jesus is asking more of us than we planned to give? We remember that we are deeply loved by him and that compels us to trust him. As we trust him, we can begin to see how he will give us more than we ever dared to ask or think.

Let me pray.