Having a vision for LOVING OTHERS 2 CORINTHIANS 5:14-21

Week 1: Secure Last week Peter challenged us from Psalm 139. David understood that he was who he was because of God In 2019 we seek to be secure in God as David was – open, confident, reverent, dutiful, seeking to do right, …. 1You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. 2You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. ………………. 23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Week 2: Loving Today’s challenge for 2019 - to have a vision for loving others. More specifically, to look at people through God’s eyes, not our eyes.

2 Corinthians 5: 14 -21 (NIV and The Message) For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 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. 16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Christ’s love has moved me to such extremes Christ’s love has moved me to such extremes. His love has the first and last word in everything we do. 14-15 Our firm decision is to work from this focused center: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat. He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own. 16-20 Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you. 21How? you ask. In Christ. God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God.

The secret: seeing others through God’s eyes We all mix with people. Everyday we talk to people, we interact with people, we affect people’s lives through our actions and so on. Jesus sees the same people we see in these everyday encounters. But what He sees when He looks at those same people is generally different from what we see.

Matthew 14 – Feeding the 5k 13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” 16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” 17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. 18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.

Seeing others through God’s eyes Paul understood. He was an exception - he had a Godly vision for people. In his second letter to the Corinth church Paul teaches about the load he felt. He tells us how he now sees people through Jesus' eyes. The whole theme of the letter concerns how people are to be seen. Paul wrote this letter because he was being judged wrongly by the believers in Corinth.

Seeing others through God’s eyes A theme that runs through much of the Corinthian letters is to quit looking on the outward appearance 12 We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart.13 If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.

The Five things Paul saw in People 1. Their VALUE to God (14). God views everyone with love. 2. Their NEED (14-15) Everyone is in deep Spiritual need 3. Their POTENTIAL (15). Everyone has great Spiritual potential 4. Their SPIRITUAL CONDITION (16-17). The outside is not important. What is important is on the inside. 5. Their PROVISION (18-21). God has done everything for salvation.

1. People’s VALUE 14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. Christ’s love has moved me to such extremes. His love has the first and last word in everything we do. It was, above all else, the love of Christ that compelled Paul. If Jesus had so loved the people around Paul, how could Paul not love them too? 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16). 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8). May God help us to understand that Jesus Christ loves everyone deeply. He loves them so much that He laid down His life for them.

Every person is in a state of desperate spiritual need. 2. People’s NEED Christ’s love has moved me to such extremes. His love has the first and last word in everything we do. 14-15 Our firm decision is to work from this focused center: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat. He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own. Every person is in a state of desperate spiritual need. Jesus died for everyone. The implication of that is that everyone needed His sacrifice. We should learn to look at people from the perspective of the cross of Jesus; and remember that they are in a desperately serious situation before God. May God help us to be moved with compassion for people by helping us to be burdened by their need as He sees it.

3. People’s POTENTIAL

Jesus didn't die to leave people in a state of death. 3. People’s POTENTIAL 15 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. Jesus didn't die to leave people in a state of death. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10). 11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope— the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. (Titus 2:11-14). May God help us to see the potential in others if they would only trust Jesus and live for Him.

4. People’s SPIRITUAL CONDITION

4. People’s SPIRITUAL CONDITION 16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! Let's stop evaluating people in terms of the things we can see. Instead, let's see them as either "in Christ" or "outside Christ". And let's be sure that we look at those who are in Christ as "new creatures“. May God help us to fully understand that it is the spiritual condition that really matters.

5. God’s PROVISION for people 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. God has done everything in preparation for salvation. What a great motivation that should be for us to share the good news of salvation!

5. God’s PROVISION for people When Paul looked at people, he saw how God Himself had established a plan for their salvation. (2) Paul saw how God had provided a wonderful Saviour. (3) Paul saw that God has provided a messenger of the news of salvation – Paul himself!

5. God’s PROVISION for people 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. There are three startling truths in this verse. God has placed His message of reconciliation into our hands. God has given us an official title: "ambassadors for Christ". God doesn't send us out in our own power. When we share the news of salvation through Jesus Christ, it's as if God Himself is making His appeal to them through us!

Week 2: For 2019 (and beyond) May God help us to see that he love’s everyone and so should we. May God help us to see the depth of people’s need – that Jesus died for them. May God help us to see people’s potential as God sees it looking at them as someone for whom Jesus died and rose. May God help us to see people’s true spiritual condition no longer evaluating them merely on the basis of the outward. May God help us to see the great provision and the great part He has called us to play.