2 Corinthians 5:16-21 “Point of Views”
A man dies and goes to heaven. Of
course, St. Peter meets him at the pearly gates. St. Peter says, "Here's
how it works. You need 100 points to make it into heaven. You tell me all the
good things you've done, and I give you a certain number of points for each
item, depending on how good it was. When you reach 100 points, you get
in."
"Okay," the man says, "I was
married to the same woman for 50 years and never cheated on her, even in my
heart."
"That's wonderful," says St.
Peter, "that's worth three points!"
"Three points?" he says.
"Well, I attended church all my life and supported its ministry with my
tithe and service."
"Terrific!" says St. Peter,
"that's certainly worth a point."
"One point? Golly. How about this: I
started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless
veterans."
"Fantastic, that's good for two more
points," he says.
"TWO POINTS!!" the man cries,
"At this rate the only way I get into heaven is by the grace of God!"
"Surrendering to the grace of God,
1,000points! Come on in!"
Last week I spoke about what things will look like when we get to heaven. This week in Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth, we find a reverse view; that is to say, what our world looks like from a heavenly perspective. You see, Paul believed rightly that the Kingdom of Heaven was already made manifest here on earth when God sent Jesus to us. Jesus looked at the world from the heavenly perspective even though he was on earth. Paul believes that we must all do the same. He says that right off in the passage today: “We no longer view others from a human perspective.”
Accordingly, and as the Bible tells us in the next lines, once upon a time we may have even viewed Jesus from the human perspective. We may have thought that he was just a man. Even today there are some people who will say that Jesus was just a historical person. For instance, there is what is known as the “Jesus Seminar” that is a group of academics that have committed their intellect to just looking at Jesus as a historical personage. The Jesus Seminar meets twice a year with about 150 delegates that will then use these little colored beads to vote whether Christ actually did various miracles or not. Yes, they have already voted down the death on the Cross and the Resurrection. Christ’s return did not pass the vote of the committee either. I really find that funny that a committee could vote down the hope and salvation of humanity! The whole idea of viewing Christ as just a regular person is the Devil’s distraction.
In verse 17 of today’s scripture we read something that is really a new idea: “We are in Christ.” I am going to have to talk about this! Most of the time when we talk about our faith, we talk about the idea of having Christ in our hearts. In other words, we say that Christ is in us. When we take communion, for instance, we are taking the body and the blood of Christ into ourselves so that they become indistinguishable from who we are. Just as when we take any food, those molecules are added to our own.
However, when we say that we are
“in Christ,” that means that we have been taken into Him, not the other way
around. WE all are in his head, looking out through His eyes! We are all in His
hands, doing His works and miracles. We are in His feet, walking where He goes.
Here is the one-liner for this week: “I am going to be into Christ!”
Here is how this works then: Remember in the New Testament when Jesus sees the adulteress about to be stoned? Everybody was viewing here from that jaded human perspective that said that she was a bad woman and had to be stoned to death. Jesus saw her and had compassion instead. In fact, he got perturbed at the people there gathered saying that they were all sinners and that the first one without sin should cast the first stone. They all thought about it and walked away, putting down their stones. Jesus approached the woman, and He told her to sin no more. He forgave her. When we see sin in the world, we have to view that through Christ’s eyes because we are in Christ. We have His eyes.
There is also the story of the Gerasene Demoniac who was this person who was so possessed and deranged that the people had him chained up to a rock in a cemetery. Jesus knew to go to him and to cast out his legion of demons. Jesus then sends him out as the first missionary of the New Testament. He did not condemn him like all the others had. He saved him. Because we are now in Christ, we have that power to do the same.
I want us just to consider that because we are in Christ, we have been crucified with Him. When Christ was on the Cross, he looked down at the Roman soldiers that were killing them and asked the Father in heaven to “forgive them for they know not what they do.” To have that heavenly perspective in our lives, even when we suffer, is what it means to be “in Christ.”
There is song on the radio these days that is popular in the country music realm. Yes, okay, make your jokes now. Your pastor sometimes listens to country music! Anyway, there is a song by Jason Michael Carroll entitled “Hurry Home.” It is on his “Growing Up Is Getting Old” album. Love the title. The song talks about a father who is grieving for his daughter who has run away from home. He puts a message on his answering machine in the event that she might call when he is not home. The message reads: “It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, I still love you. It doesn’t matter where you have been, you can still come home. And, honey, if it’s you, we have a lot of making up to do. And, I can’t hug you on the phone, so hurry home.”
Isn’t that beautiful? See, country music isn’t bad! As the lyrics of the song tell, a friend of the father in the story calls up and tells him that it has been too long now that his daughter has been missing and that he should take the message off the phone. The dad refuses. Then at the very end of the song, he walks into his home to hear his daughter’s voice on the phone, saying, “I am on my way.”
God looks at us as His children who have run off and gone astray. The Gospel is the out-going message that says “come back” all is forgiven. When I know that I am in Christ, that is how I have to see things. That is no longer seeing things from a huma perspective but from the Godly one.
Okay then, in verses 18-20: WE see the word “reconcile” over and over. This is a word that not too many of us use unless we are in accounting or banking. Right? Many of us might even say that we “balance” our checkbooks rather than use the word “reconcile.” However, at the end of the month, we all do this thing with our money that matches the bank statement to our personal records. The two records have to come together and match up in some accord. If there are discrepancies, then they have to be settled or squared. Right?
Imagine then this scenario that every time somebody billed you for a service, whether it be the electric bill or rent, that that person would have to drive down to the bank and meet you there. You would ask the teller directly for the cash owed from your account and then you would hand it over. Well, you might just end up living at the bank, but you would have no debts and really nothing to reconcile, would you? If you are in Christ, then it is like living at the bank! You are automatically reconciled at the end of the month—or the end of your days.
Let us all now just focus on the last verse, that is verse 21: It says that we are to be the righteousness of God. From the worldly perspective, we may think that being righteous is an ugly matter to be avoided at all cost. However, from the heavenly or Godly perspective, it is the result of being reconciled with God. It is a marvelous thing. It is like that feeling when you do in fact balance at the end of the month and you know that your finances are in order.
As many of you know, I keep the financial records for the West Kauai Ministers Association. The account is kept on our church’s computer with a Quickbooks program. Just this last week, we had our ministers’ breakfast down at Eleele. The copied reports were handed out. Everybody could see all of the checks that went out to help the needy in the last month. But, more importantly, everybody could see that the account was reconciled to the bank statement. There was no missing money, All monies were accounted for. So, it was a righteous report.
If your life is balanced and open, if your life is reconciled to God, then you are going to be righteous whether people appreciate that or not. Let me assure you this morning that it is perfectly appropriate to be righteous. Lead a righteous life.
Recently there was some graffiti painted in the middle of Ola Road here in Waimea. Somebody had painted with the rattle can among other things the words: “Live Gangsta.” Almost immediately James Beardsmore came out with his own rattle can and painted over it in white. That is the righteousness of God in action! Yes, Live Righteousness. No live gangsta!
You are living in Christ! You are reconciled to God! You are living in all righteousness! Amen.