Let's go to Lord in prayer, and we're in 2 Corinthians chapter 6. We'll be starting chapter 6 here. Let's pray. Father, thank you for your love for us. Father, thank you for your goodness to us. We thank you for your word, Father, that directs us and guides us and leads us. rebukes us, reproves us, corrects us, encourages us, reveals to us, Father, who you are and who Jesus is. Reveals to us, Father, your person, your purpose, and your power. We thank you for the Holy Spirit, who is the one that leads us into all truth. And so, Father, we ask your spirit to work in our hearts and minds tonight. And we ask this in Jesus' name, amen. So Paul's carrying on his theme of this ministry of reconciliation, which he speaks about. Let's see if I can find my... I was taking some notes here. How do I deal with them? I picked them up with my music here. Yeah, I'll find them. He just gave us the gospel in verse 21 of chapter 5. For our sake, He, the Father, made Him, Christ's Son, to be sin, who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. And so in Christ, we receive His righteousness. He's continuing in this theme. I wish I could find my notes. of this relationship we have with him to be in this ministry of reconciliation. So he says here, because this gospel, and back in verse 20, therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us, we implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. Okay, so that's our message. So he picks that up here in verse one of chapter six, working together with him. Now actually, in the Greek, with him is not in the original language, it's implied. The antecedent is God giving us this ministry of reconciliation and this word of reconciliation. And so the context is that we're working together with Him. We are not able to do anything on our own. is Christ's power that is working in us and through us. Still can't believe I don't have my notes. Let's see if I stuck them in here. Nope. But Paul repeats this theme over and over again. Even Jesus made us aware of the necessity of being united with him. And so this work is spiritual work, which we have no power or ability apart from the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit and the word of God. Back in John's gospel in chapter 15, I am the vine. and my father is the vine dresser or the husbandman. Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, so that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I spoke to you. Abide in me and I in you, as a branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine. Neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, it is he that bears much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing." Okay? So Paul's saying here, working together with him. We're dependent upon God's strength and his power his provision, and his provision, I'm trying to remember all my notes as we go along here. It's Mark 4. Jesus gives a picture of this word of reconciliation or the gospel. are the seed that we sow. First, in Mark's Gospel in Chapter 4, he gives the parable of the sower. Again, he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him. So he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea. And the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. And he was teaching them many things in parables and teaching. He said to them, listen. A sower went out to sow, and as he sowed, some seed fell along the path. The birds came and devoured it. Others fell, seed fell on rocky ground where it could not have much soil. Immediately it sprang up, but since it had no depth of soil, and when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and thorns grew up and choked it. and it yielded no grain. And other seed fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold. And he said, He who has ears, let him hear." Now, as we go on in that gospel, Jesus explains the gospel to his disciples. And he tells them that the seed is the word of God. So he says here in verse 12, he said to them, do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. And those are the ones along the path where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground, the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy, and they have no root in themselves. but endure for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. That's very important right there, what he's going to say here in chapter 6 of 2 Corinthians, when he starts to talk about the adversity that comes in the Christian life and those that follow Christ. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground. Let me jump. The other ones are sown among thorns. There are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and deceitfulness of riches and desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. Now, this is what he's saying here in chapter six. Working together with him then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. And then he says, But those that are sown on good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold. Now he expands on that about the sowing of the seed in verse 26 of Mark 4. It says, the kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows. He does not know how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain of the ear. But when the grain is ripe at once, he puts in the sickle because the harvest has come. So, the parable of the sower, he went forth and sowed the word of God. The seed is going to fall on the wayside, where Satan will snatch it up before it begins to have any effect. It falls in shallow ground and there's a response, but because there's no depth of root, as soon as tribulations come, it withers because there's no true life there. Then the seed falls on thorny ground where the cares of this world choke out the seed and it doesn't bear fruit. But then there's good soil that produces 30, 60, 100 fold fruit. And then he says, the man came to God like this, a man scattered seed on the ground, four different types of soil. He sleeps and rises night and day. And then some of that seed is going to sprout and it's going to grow. when it falls on good ground. Doesn't know how because Jesus told us in John three, the spirit moves where he wills. And so our responsibility is to be ambassadors for Christ back in chapter five, verse 20. And God making His appeal through us, we implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. That's our ministry, the ministry of reconciliation, the word of reconciliation. And we're working together with Him. Without Him, we can do nothing. Without the Spirit's work, we can do nothing. We cannot convert people. We can plead with them. And that's what Paul, in essence, is doing with these believers at Corinth. Corinth was a very troubled church. Sin was, I wanna say rampant in church, maybe not rampant, but it was very present. Sexual sin, immorality, backbiting, divisions, pride toward the spiritual gifts. And he talks about lawsuits going on between believers, all kinds of stuff that was not exemplifying Christ and exalting Christ. And so he made a visit, it wasn't very effective, so he's writing this letter here. He was constantly attacked, Paul was constantly attacked by these false prophets he talks about in chapter 11 of this epistle. And they were bringing a different gospel. They were teaching heresy. They were false teachers. They were false apostles. They claimed to be super apostles, but they were false apostles. And so Paul is saying we're working together with him, with God. with Christ, with the Holy Spirit. And we appeal, we're pleading with you. Really, that's kind of the thought here, this word appeal. We're pleading with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. Now we've already looked at it back in chapter 3 of 1 Corinthians, that we're to be careful in how we build upon the foundation of Christ in our life. And we're to seek to build upon that foundation by the working of the Spirit in our life through the process of sanctification and build with eternal materials, gold, silver, and precious stone. We'll be building with wood, hay, and stubble, the efforts of our flesh. And we're going to stand before Christ, and that's going to be judged. If it's gold, silver, and precious stone, it's going to endure. If it's wood, hay, and stubble, it's going to be consumed. And Paul tells us there in 1 Corinthians 3 that some are going to be saved yet by fire. They're just going to escape the flames of hell because they're truly converted, but they wasted their life in the opportunity to follow Christ. In the opportunity of what Paul says in Philippians 2.12, I think I've told you before, I wish these two verses were switched, but they're not. God didn't intend them to be switched. Verse 12, Philippians 2, right after he's just gone through verses 5 through 11, for us to have the mind of Christ, for us to humble ourselves and follow the example of Jesus, who humbled himself and took upon the nature of man and became the God-man and he humbled himself to the point of death and not just any death but the shameful cursed death on the cross through his obedience to the Father and he says therefore God has highly exalted because he humbled himself God has highly exalted him now verse 12 therefore my beloved As you've always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence, but much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. He's not saying work for salvation. He says, work out your salvation. Work out what verse 13 says, God has worked in us. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to work or do His good pleasure. So what God is working in and what God has worked in us in our conversion, in our becoming that new creation that we saw in chapter 5 verse 17. were to work out of that reality. We're not working for salvation because we can't do that. Now that's part of the problem with these false teachers. They were saying, yes, you need to believe in Jesus, but you need to keep the law. You need to be circumcised. And Paul says circumcision means nothing. He tells us in Romans and Galatians that no one has ever been justified by keeping the law because we cannot do it. So, therefore, my beloved, because we are seeking to have the mind of Christ, because we are humbling ourselves before the mighty hand of God, which includes suffering. In fact, verse 29 of chapter 1 of Philippians, Paul writes to these flipping believers, for it has been granted to you by God's grace, by God's drawing you to himself through his son, Jesus Christ. It has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ, you should not only believe in him, but also suffer for his sake. engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now here that I still have. So Paul's saying here is not only that God gives us the gift of his grace of salvation, but he gives us his gift of grace in suffering. And so, because we're to have this mind of Christ, and Jesus humbled himself, even to the point of death, and not any death, but even death on the cross. Verse nine says, therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed upon him the name that is above every name, so that the name of Jesus every knee shall bow in heaven on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, And that's what he's saying here in chapter six. Do not receive the grace of God in vain, for he says, in a favorable time, I listened to you and in a day of salvation, I have helped you. Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day of sanctification. Behold, now is the favorable time because now is the day of salvation. We put no obstacle in any... I'm in 2 Corinthians 6 here, verse 3. We put no obstacle in anyone's way so that no fault may be found with our ministry. Paul's saying, I'm not trying to be a stumbling block to you. He talks about that in chapter 14 of Romans. And he said, we're not putting any obstacle in front of you because We need to work at our salvation with fear and trembling, because God is working in us both to will and to do his good pleasure. Now, there's there's. There's a I want to say many, but I'll just say there's a significant number of people who are in churches every Sunday, have gone through baptismal waters, have even walked the aisle and profess Christ. but they're not truly regenerate. Their life really hasn't changed. Now they may not be involved in gross sins of the flesh, but sanctified flesh is still flesh. They might be taking pride in the goodness of their life. And in a latent way, in a default way, they're really resting upon their perceived goodness because they go to church, they've been baptized, they've walked down an aisle and prayed a prayer, but their life really hasn't changed. Now that's in regards to salvation. In fact, Paul admonishes these believers In chapter 13, the last chapter, at the end of this letter, in verse 5, he says, examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves, or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Christ is in you, unless indeed you fail to meet the test. Now, I'm not trying to cause people to doubt their salvation. That's not my responsibility. That's the work of the Holy Spirit. God wants us to know that we are saved. The Lord wants us to have that assurance. John speaks of this in 1 John 5, 13. I write these things to you. And all through this epistle of 1 John, he uses the word, we know, we know, we know, we know something. Okay? Just for example, in chapter 3, verse 16, by this we know that he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. Okay? He said we know something. So he writes in verse 13 of chapter 5, I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. I still hear Adrian Rogers say, we have a no-so salvation. God wants us to know that we're truly born again. How does that happen? Well, Romans 8.16, the spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. How does he do that? Through the word of God, through the promises of God, through the transformation of our life. And so Paul's writing these Corinthians Because we're working together, we're in this ministry of reconciliation. We are ambassadors for Christ. As if God is speaking through us, he's making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. So we're working together with him with this ministry of reconciliation, this word of reconciliation with the gospel. The sower went forth and sowed the word of God. He sowed the gospel and he goes to bed and he gets up and all of a sudden here comes a blade of that seed and then the stalk and then the full year and then God comes and harvests, He takes the sickle and brings the harvest. That's why He says in 1 Corinthians, I sowed a pile of water, but God gave the increase. That's the work of God. But we're to, as we teach the Word of God, constantly look at our own life and encourage others to look at their life Again, that's what he says there in chapter 13, verse 5, examine yourselves and see if you're in the faith. How do we know that? Well, our life is being changed. Our thoughts are being changed. Our thought patterns are being changed. We're being delivered from lesser things. We set our mind on things that are above and not things on the earth. Doesn't mean we are like monks and close to ourselves in some monastery and hide from the world, no. When Jesus prayed for us in John 17, he says, we're in this world, but we're not of this world. So we're in this world. And God has a calling in our life, whatever that is, and for you or for me, he has a calling for our life, and we're in this world, but we're not to be of this world. But while we're in this world, we're to be light and salt. We're to be sowing seed. We're to be praying for good soil. And we trust God to bring the harvest. The harvest is not our responsibility. Sowing the seed is our responsibility. And we make an appeal. He's appealing to these Corinthians believers. We appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. that in regards to salvation, but it's also in regards to sanctification. We're in a spiritual battle of necessity. He even talks about it here. Let me just continue reading and come to this thought. We put no obstacle in anyone's way so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but we as servants of God, we commend ourselves in every way by great endurance, afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger, by purity, by knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love, by truthful speech and the power of God with the weapons of righteousness from the right hand, for the right hand and for the left, Through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise, we are treated as imposters and yet are true as unknown and yet well-known. Well-known by who? Well-known by God. We don't need recognition. Now, Paul is talking about these attacks by these false apostles. He said, we're treated as imposters, but yet we're true. We have the true gospel, he says. And the true gospel, again, is back there in verse 21 of chapter five. For our sake, He made Him, Christ the Son, to be sin, who knew no sin, so that in Him, in Christ, we might become the righteous of God. But he was being accused of being a false teacher, being a false apostle. But he says, one knows who I am, and that's the true and living God. We are treated as apostles, yet true. We're true apostles. Paul says, my apostleship came from the Lord Jesus himself. He was called by the Lord Jesus himself, just like the other disciples or apostles were called by the Lord Jesus to come follow me. And in essence, that's what Jesus did to Paul on the road to Damascus. And as we see in Galatians, he said, I didn't receive this gospel from any man, It came by revelation through Jesus Christ. And he says, it doesn't matter. As servants of God, we commend ourselves in every way. I'm gonna read these verses again. By great endurance, in afflictions, hardships. He goes on and lists them in even more detail in chapter 11. Calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labor, sleepless nights, hunger. But in the midst of all that, by purity, by knowledge, by patience and kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love, by truthful speech, and by the power of God with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left, excuse me, left hand. He's gonna say again one of my favorite passages in chapter 10, verses three, four, and five, for though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war, according to flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh. King James will say carnal, which might be a media word, but have divine power. They are mighty to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to being of Christ. He says, God has provided us with spiritual weapons for the right hand and for the left hand. We could go over to Ephesians 6 and look at that presentation of the armor of God, that we're to take our stand against the enemy and we're to do all that we can to stand. Verse 10, Ephesians 6, finally be strong in the Lord and the power or the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers. over this present darkness against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. It's a spiritual battle that's going on. In fact, it's always a spiritual battle. What's going on in America, in Russia, all over this world, it's a spiritual battle going on. And most people don't even understand that's reality. These false isms are inspired by the devil himself and demons. And we're in a spiritual battle. And so we're to put on the arm of God. He says here in 2 Corinthians, he's given us weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left hand. Therefore, take up the whole arm of God so that you may be able to stand in the evil day and having done all the stand, that's what he's saying, don't, don't receive the gospel, the grace of God in vain. God has provided, again, my favorite passage, 2 Peter chapter one, God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness. Verse 32 of Romans 8. Verse 31, what shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He the Father, who did not spare His own Son, the Lord Jesus, but gave Him up for us all, how will He the Father, God the Father, not also with Him, Christ the Son, graciously or freely give us all things? If God is for us, who can be against us? What Paul is saying to these Corinthian believers, we're working together with him. The message we have is God's message. It's God's gospel. As we says in first chapter of Romans, Paul says that I have this gospel, it's God's gospel, not mine. And it's a gospel that is pertaining to his son. It's about his son, the Lord Jesus. So we're working together with him, and we're appealing to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. Today is the day of salvation. See, sanctification is the continuation of our salvation, okay? I talk about this periodically. Checking our time. The three aspects of Salvation, justification, I was saved, declared righteous in Christ. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God. There is therefore now no combination to those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 5.1, Romans 8.1. Justification is God declares us righteous in Christ. Sanctification is the ongoing relationship we have with the Lord Jesus in this life until he comes, until we take our last breath, to where we are to be being transformed and becoming, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. That's our transformation. I was saved, declared righteous in Christ. I'm being saved through sanctification. I will be saved in glorification. where the completion of my salvation will arrive in the return of Christ, and we'll be glorified, and this mortal put on immortality, this corruption will put on incorruption, and we're gonna be resurrected and transformed and have a body made in heaven. Back here in the beginning of this letter, in chapter five, Well, I guess I'll get back into 2 Corinthians, if I want to read chapter 5. For we know that if the tent in which is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hand, eternal in the heavens. That's our glorified body. So here's the picture. Justification, I was saved. Sanctification, I'm being saved. Glorification, I will be saved. The penalty of sin, removed, the power of sin broken, the presence of sin eradicated, removed. So that's the picture. I was saved. I'm being saved. I will be saved. That's what Paul is talking about here to these Corinthian believers, not to receive the grace of God in vain. Some maybe they need to be converted because they're not really in Christ and they've really not become a new creation. But if they are genuinely regenerate, and it has become a new creation in Christ, we are still responsible to continue in God's grace, working out our salvation, not working for salvation, but working out our salvation with fear and trembling, because God's working in us, both to will to do that and to do it. So, Paul's saying, we've not tried to put any stumbling block in front of you, we've gone through all these adversities, and yet at the same time, God's been working in us, bringing purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the presence of the Holy Spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left hand, through honor and dishonor, Through slander and praise, we are treated as imposters and yet we're true apostles. We're unknown, yet well-known. Well-known by who? Well, ultimately by God. Ultimately by God. Galatians 4, 8. Formerly you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather, to be known by God, how can you turn back again to weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? You see, it's important that we know the true and living God And that's what Jesus said, John 17.3, this is eternal life, that they may know you, the true and living God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. But Paul says it's more important that we're known by God. Verse nine again, unknown but yet well-known. Now notice another aspect of that, well-known by those that he's taught the gospel to. As dying and behold, we live. As punished and yet not killed. As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. As poor, yet making many rich. Rich, wow, spiritually rich. As having nothing, yet possessing everything. We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians. Our heart is open wide. You are not restricted by us. but you are restricted in your own affections. In return, I speak as to children, widen your hearts also. Open the eyes of my heart, Lord. Open the eyes of my heart. I want to see." Now, he's not talking about spiritual or emotional experience. He's talking about knowing and understanding and growing in relationship with the true and living God. I think our time's gone there. And so the great admonition is, do not receive the grace of God in vain. Oh, how much we miss God's blessings when we let our life be consumed by lesser things. That's why, again, Paul says to Colossians chapter three, set your mind on things that are above and not things on the earth. Jesus said, lay up treasures in heaven and not on this earth. We're in this world, but we're not to be of this world. We're to be working together with the true and living God so that our professed faith is not a vain faith. It's a genuine faith and a transforming faith by the grace of God. Let's pray. Father, thank you for your word. Thank you, Father, for your goodness to us. Thank you for your patience. Forgive us, Father, when we grieve you and grieve the Holy Spirit. Help us, Father, to take on the whole armor of God. Help us to put to use those weapons that are in our right hand and our left hand. Father, whether it's in tribulation or it's on the mountaintop, we thank you, Father, that you're present in both places and that your grace is sufficient in both places. So, Father, help us to be serious about what you've given us, the gift that you've given us. Father, may it multiply in our life. May we be rooted Father, in the Lord Jesus, that we might bear fruit. Jesus said, you've not chosen me, I've chosen you, and I've ordained you to bear forth fruit, and fruit that remains. So Father, may that be so in our lives. We ask it in Jesus' name, amen. Lord bless you, and we're continuing our study in Hebrews. We're gonna start chapter five this Sunday. If you have a church home, be faithful to your church home. If not, I invite you to join us at Antioch. We're at 18319 Wild Horse Creek Road in Chesterfield. As you're coming up from Long Road and the stores down there in the valley between Airport Road and Edison, you come up Wild Horse Creek Road before you get to 109, We're right there on the right. Join us later if you can't join us in person on Facebook and YouTube and Sermon Audio I think is the name of the other outlet. So Lord bless you and Lord willing we'll see you next week.