1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:07,080 You’re listening to a sermon from Pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible. 2 00:00:07,080 –> 00:00:14,760 To contact us call us at 1-877-OPEN-365 or visit our website openthebible.org. 3 00:00:14,760 –> 00:00:20,639 Let’s get to the message, here is Pastor Colin. 4 00:00:20,639 –> 00:00:25,299 Please open your Bibles at Second Corinthians and chapter 5. 5 00:00:25,459 –> 00:00:31,820 We looked last time from verse 14 at what it means to be controlled by the love of Christ. 6 00:00:31,820 –> 00:00:36,540 And we saw the testimony of the Apostle Paul that the love of Christ really took a grip 7 00:00:36,540 –> 00:00:42,540 in his life took hold of his life when he came to two conclusions about the death and 8 00:00:42,540 –> 00:00:45,459 the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. 9 00:00:45,459 –> 00:00:51,439 The first was that Jesus changed death but he died in our place in order to change the 10 00:00:51,439 –> 00:00:53,139 face of depth forever. 11 00:00:53,139 –> 00:00:59,880 That’s why he says one has died for all and therefore all have died he has changed death 12 00:00:59,880 –> 00:01:05,779 from what it would have been a passing into condemnation into what it will be for a person 13 00:01:05,779 –> 00:01:11,820 who is in Christ and entering into celebration he has changed the face of death for all of 14 00:01:11,820 –> 00:01:12,820 his people. 15 00:01:12,820 –> 00:01:17,959 And then not only that we saw that the lord Jesus has changed the face of life the whole 16 00:01:17,959 –> 00:01:19,459 purpose of life. 17 00:01:19,500 –> 00:01:25,559 He died to bring us from the misery of our living for ourself into the joy of living 18 00:01:25,559 –> 00:01:31,120 for him he died verse 15 that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for 19 00:01:31,120 –> 00:01:35,220 him who for their sake died and was raised. 20 00:01:35,220 –> 00:01:42,059 Now in these verses we’ve really come to the core of what God has done in Jesus Christ 21 00:01:42,059 –> 00:01:43,660 for all of his people. 22 00:01:44,040 –> 00:01:52,760 He’s changed death, he’s changed life, and he’s done it for all who are in Jesus Christ. 23 00:01:52,760 –> 00:02:00,900 Now today we’re going to come to the first of really a series of conclusions or applications 24 00:02:00,900 –> 00:02:05,519 that come from the great truth of who Jesus is and what he has done. 25 00:02:05,519 –> 00:02:08,259 And what he has accomplished for his people. 26 00:02:08,259 –> 00:02:14,240 And so we’re really coming there to a series of conclusions from this wonderful reality 27 00:02:14,240 –> 00:02:16,740 that the love of Christ controls us. 28 00:02:16,740 –> 00:02:21,220 And what we’re going to see today is that when that is the case, it changes the way 29 00:02:21,220 –> 00:02:28,580 that we see other people, and it also changes the way in which we see ourselves. 30 00:02:28,580 –> 00:02:36,059 And so I want to try and show you from the bible today how it is that knowing Jesus Christ 31 00:02:36,139 –> 00:02:45,000 will change the way you view others, and it will change the way in which you see yourself. 32 00:02:45,000 –> 00:02:50,419 So we come there with verse 16 and verse 17, and I’d like to read these verses again for 33 00:02:50,419 –> 00:02:54,320 you now. 34 00:02:54,320 –> 00:02:58,779 So the word therefore means, this is a conclusion, this is what comes from what we’ve been learning 35 00:02:58,779 –> 00:02:59,779 before. 36 00:02:59,779 –> 00:03:09,339 This says, from now on therefore, we regard no one accord to the flesh, even though we 37 00:03:09,339 –> 00:03:13,279 once regarded Christ according to the flesh. 38 00:03:13,279 –> 00:03:20,100 So that same phrase a second time, we regard him thus no longer. 39 00:03:20,100 –> 00:03:25,460 Then this marvelous verse, therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. 40 00:03:25,460 –> 00:03:27,240 The old has passed away. 41 00:03:27,240 –> 00:03:30,520 Behold the new has come. 42 00:03:30,520 –> 00:03:35,880 Now the keywords here are the words according to the flesh, and you’ll notice that that 43 00:03:35,880 –> 00:03:41,580 little phrase comes twice in verse 16 as if to underline its importance. 44 00:03:41,580 –> 00:03:48,800 From now on, we regard no one according to the flesh, we once regarded Christ according 45 00:03:48,800 –> 00:03:53,580 to the flesh, but we do so no longer. 46 00:03:53,740 –> 00:04:00,580 Now, what does it mean to regard someone according to the flesh? 47 00:04:00,580 –> 00:04:05,919 Well, very simply, to regard someone according to the flesh means to form an impression about 48 00:04:05,919 –> 00:04:11,300 a person from the most obvious things about them. 49 00:04:11,300 –> 00:04:18,019 Remember, the Bible says man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart. 50 00:04:18,019 –> 00:04:22,600 We often emphasize, rightly, the second half of that verse, God looks on the heart. 51 00:04:22,619 –> 00:04:27,000 We forget the first part, which is that man looks on the outward appearance. 52 00:04:27,000 –> 00:04:34,239 We form impressions on what is immediately apparent in regards to other people. 53 00:04:34,239 –> 00:04:39,040 Of course, we do want to know the heart, but as everyone knows, that takes time and you 54 00:04:39,040 –> 00:04:40,459 can’t do that with everybody. 55 00:04:40,459 –> 00:04:47,359 You’re only able to know the heart of a limited number of people. 56 00:04:47,420 –> 00:04:56,200 I want to list for you then 10 factors that distinguish us according to the flesh. 57 00:04:56,200 –> 00:05:02,040 Let me give you this health warning before we get into it, every one of them is sensitive. 58 00:05:02,040 –> 00:05:03,320 Every one of them is sensitive. 59 00:05:03,320 –> 00:05:07,600 That was the thing as I was just meditating on this and listing out. 60 00:05:07,600 –> 00:05:11,519 What does it mean to be in the flesh? 61 00:05:11,519 –> 00:05:13,640 What does this phrase according to the flesh mean? 62 00:05:13,640 –> 00:05:15,119 I am meditating on it as I am going. 63 00:05:15,119 –> 00:05:16,160 Oh, that’s sensitive. 64 00:05:16,279 –> 00:05:18,739 Oh, so’s that, oh so’s that. 65 00:05:18,739 –> 00:05:24,760 And the reason for that is that these things reflect our life in this world. 66 00:05:24,760 –> 00:05:31,239 And as you will see there, they’re for the focus of great tension in many spheres. 67 00:05:31,239 –> 00:05:33,799 Here is number one, appearance. 68 00:05:33,799 –> 00:05:36,299 The most obvious of them all. 69 00:05:36,299 –> 00:05:42,640 This is obviously the first way in which we identify people in ordinary conversation. 70 00:05:42,640 –> 00:05:47,839 One will say, oh, you know I spoke to Mary Jones this morning and I’ll say now who is 71 00:05:47,839 –> 00:05:52,420 she and she’ll say what, she’s the tall lady with the dark curly hair and she walks with 72 00:05:52,420 –> 00:05:54,799 a bit of a stoop and she always wears a green coat. 73 00:05:54,799 –> 00:05:59,600 Now I mean that’s the kind of ordinary conversation that we have all of the time in regards to 74 00:05:59,600 –> 00:06:02,420 how we describe or identify people. 75 00:06:02,420 –> 00:06:08,980 According to the flesh, you have a certain height and you may either like that or not 76 00:06:08,980 –> 00:06:10,220 like it. 77 00:06:10,220 –> 00:06:14,940 You are of a certain weight and you may either like that or you may not like that. 78 00:06:14,940 –> 00:06:19,320 You have your own style, you have your own level of fitness, and all of these things 79 00:06:19,320 –> 00:06:22,100 are immediately apparent. 80 00:06:22,100 –> 00:06:26,660 All of us have thoughts about our own appearance, whether we like it or whether we don’t like 81 00:06:26,660 –> 00:06:30,579 it, how it compares with the appearance of others and that’s why these things become 82 00:06:30,579 –> 00:06:31,579 sensitive. 83 00:06:31,579 –> 00:06:38,140 But our appearance is a factor that distinguishes us according to the flesh, that’s number one. 84 00:06:38,820 –> 00:06:39,619 Ability. 85 00:06:40,279 –> 00:06:45,480 I am thinking here about gifts, talents, abilities that each of us have in different spheres, 86 00:06:45,480 –> 00:06:50,380 sports, arts, music, so forth and so on. 87 00:06:50,380 –> 00:07:00,119 And our abilities in different areas are part of what we are according to the flesh. 88 00:07:00,119 –> 00:07:07,059 Now I went to high school for six years and the reason I hasten to add is not that I did 89 00:07:07,320 –> 00:07:12,980 particularly badly, it was that we didn’t have middle school and so at the age of twelve 90 00:07:12,980 –> 00:07:18,600 you went to what was called secondary school, effectively high school and were there for 91 00:07:18,600 –> 00:07:23,940 six years, so I began at the age of twelve. 92 00:07:23,940 –> 00:07:30,359 And in the high school I attended, for which I will always be grateful, we were divided 93 00:07:30,459 –> 00:07:38,339 into streams according to ability, and many others will have had this kind of experience. 94 00:07:38,339 –> 00:07:46,660 There were five classes in each year and if you’re curious to know where I was, the answer 95 00:07:46,660 –> 00:07:48,000 actually is very, very boring. 96 00:07:48,000 –> 00:07:52,559 I was absolutely slap bang right in the middle. 97 00:07:52,559 –> 00:07:59,500 I guess the school didn’t want it to be too obvious that the classes were streamed and 98 00:07:59,540 –> 00:08:05,480 so the classes were given what seemed to be random names. 99 00:08:05,480 –> 00:08:15,540 They were X, G, T, H, and K, and so you would go into 1x or 1g and 2x and 2g and so forth 100 00:08:15,540 –> 00:08:16,540 and so on. 101 00:08:16,540 –> 00:08:19,980 Well of course all the kids, as it’s always the case, knew who was at the top and who 102 00:08:19,980 –> 00:08:21,200 was at the bottom. 103 00:08:21,399 –> 00:08:30,320 And so, here we were, 12 years old, trying to work out what these apparently random letters 104 00:08:30,320 –> 00:08:35,520 might actually stand for, and we worked it out. 105 00:08:35,520 –> 00:08:40,840 X, we decided for sure, must be for excellent because these kids were the high fliers. 106 00:08:40,840 –> 00:08:44,619 G, which was the next lot, therefore must be for good. 107 00:08:44,619 –> 00:08:50,880 T, which was us, we dubbed terrific, though other classes reckoned that it may well be 108 00:08:51,380 –> 00:08:52,380 terrible. 109 00:08:52,380 –> 00:09:00,140 H was obviously for horrible, which left K, which by universal acclimation was regarded 110 00:09:00,140 –> 00:09:02,520 as standing for chronic. 111 00:09:02,520 –> 00:09:06,840 And these kids lived with that for six years. 112 00:09:06,840 –> 00:09:13,659 Now, this is the world in which we live, and how many of you have these awful memories 113 00:09:13,659 –> 00:09:19,140 of, you know, two captains picking teams for some kick about game of the ball and there 114 00:09:19,479 –> 00:09:23,659 the kids standing on the wall and I love this person, I love this person. 115 00:09:23,659 –> 00:09:27,900 And the first ones to be chosen, they walk out with a kind of swagger because they’re 116 00:09:27,900 –> 00:09:33,099 obviously the best players and then the number that are standing by the wall becomes lower 117 00:09:33,099 –> 00:09:38,460 and lower and the last kids to be chosen kind of walk out with their heads hanging because 118 00:09:38,460 –> 00:09:41,760 everybody knows that they’re the ones who are least wanted on the team. 119 00:09:41,760 –> 00:09:42,760 Why? 120 00:09:42,760 –> 00:09:48,219 Because they’ve got a lower level of ability when it comes to this particular game. 121 00:09:48,219 –> 00:09:57,039 They have different abilities that distinguish us according to the flesh. 122 00:09:57,039 –> 00:09:59,219 Number three, age. 123 00:09:59,219 –> 00:10:03,539 The young and the old and everything in between. 124 00:10:03,539 –> 00:10:08,580 Paul says to Timothy, let no one despise your youth. 125 00:10:08,580 –> 00:10:09,859 What’s the point of him saying that? 126 00:10:09,859 –> 00:10:14,099 Well, some people will not give him a lot of credibility because he is young and he’s 127 00:10:14,200 –> 00:10:19,400 going to have to earn their trust and their respect. 128 00:10:19,400 –> 00:10:26,760 Similarly, older people often feel pushed to the margins in a society that chases increasingly 129 00:10:26,760 –> 00:10:29,059 after the young. 130 00:10:29,059 –> 00:10:35,859 How many tensions in society relate to these differences between us relating to age? 131 00:10:35,859 –> 00:10:38,799 Number four, friends. 132 00:10:38,799 –> 00:10:42,080 When you’re at school, this can be a huge factor in your life. 133 00:10:42,080 –> 00:10:43,880 Who are your friends? 134 00:10:43,960 –> 00:10:46,020 What’s the group to which you belong? 135 00:10:46,020 –> 00:10:49,460 Which group wants you in and which group doesn’t want you in? 136 00:10:49,460 –> 00:10:52,200 This remains true throughout life. 137 00:10:52,200 –> 00:10:58,140 We talk about social circle, and it becomes important and significant with regards to 138 00:10:58,140 –> 00:10:59,880 who we are in the flesh. 139 00:10:59,880 –> 00:11:02,460 Number five, race. 140 00:11:02,460 –> 00:11:07,159 We’re talking about the things that distinguish us according to the flesh. 141 00:11:07,640 –> 00:11:14,919 clearly race or ethnicity is one of these, and it’s very striking how often in the Bible 142 00:11:14,919 –> 00:11:20,979 you have reference to the Jews, and the Gentiles, and often the great tensions between these 143 00:11:20,979 –> 00:11:24,400 two, and how they might be overcome. 144 00:11:24,400 –> 00:11:31,440 You can’t understand the history of America, or of the tensions in our country today apart 145 00:11:31,440 –> 00:11:37,099 from this issue, and the many, many injustices that have gone with it. 146 00:11:37,119 –> 00:11:39,179 Number six, gender. 147 00:11:39,179 –> 00:11:47,380 God has made us male and female, and this distinguishes us according to the flesh. 148 00:11:47,380 –> 00:11:51,440 As we think about race, and about gender, just think about this. 149 00:11:51,440 –> 00:11:57,380 These are the great issues that cause so much tension, so much debate within our society. 150 00:11:57,380 –> 00:12:03,760 We’re trying to work out how we live together well with what distinguishes us according 151 00:12:03,760 –> 00:12:06,760 to the flesh. 152 00:12:06,760 –> 00:12:10,059 Number seven, work. 153 00:12:10,059 –> 00:12:17,239 According to the flesh, our life in this world, the kind of work that a person does, leads 154 00:12:17,239 –> 00:12:22,380 to a very different kind of experience in life. 155 00:12:22,380 –> 00:12:29,659 Manual labor, business, education, health, arts, science, or as you’re working, the home 156 00:12:29,659 –> 00:12:31,820 with the family. 157 00:12:31,820 –> 00:12:37,099 The kind of work you do relates very much to the kind of experience that you have in 158 00:12:37,099 –> 00:12:38,099 your life. 159 00:12:38,099 –> 00:12:41,460 I’m always interested to ask people, now what’s your work? 160 00:12:41,460 –> 00:12:48,140 Because that gives a great insight into what a person’s experience of life actually is 161 00:12:48,140 –> 00:12:52,179 according to the flesh. 162 00:12:52,179 –> 00:12:54,059 Number eight, home. 163 00:12:54,059 –> 00:12:59,260 I found it difficult to know what to call this one, but think about everything that 164 00:12:59,320 –> 00:13:02,679 goes into a person’s lifestyle. 165 00:13:02,679 –> 00:13:09,599 The home you live in, the car that you drive, the vacations you enjoy, the restaurants you 166 00:13:09,599 –> 00:13:15,539 frequent, the entertainment that you choose, the leisure activities you pursue, all of 167 00:13:15,539 –> 00:13:19,039 this is driven in very significant measure, by what? 168 00:13:19,039 –> 00:13:29,099 The underlying means, that are available to you to sustain this particular style of life. 169 00:13:29,099 –> 00:13:33,239 So I could have called it wealth, I could have called it lifestyle, I called simply 170 00:13:33,239 –> 00:13:35,700 home. 171 00:13:35,700 –> 00:13:36,979 Home has associations. 172 00:13:36,979 –> 00:13:41,219 We sometimes use the phrase brought up on the wrong side of the tracks. 173 00:13:41,219 –> 00:13:43,840 Why do we use that phrase? 174 00:13:43,840 –> 00:13:49,820 Because so many communities have a more prosperous part of the community that is one side of 175 00:13:49,820 –> 00:13:57,119 a railway line and a less prosperous part of a community that is on the other side of 176 00:13:57,219 –> 00:13:58,479 the tracks. 177 00:13:58,479 –> 00:14:06,719 Number nine, family, and here we can include family of origin, family by adoption, and 178 00:14:06,719 –> 00:14:09,820 family by marriage. 179 00:14:09,820 –> 00:14:18,059 And there’s the whole issue of the mix that gets scooped out of the gene pool and gets 180 00:14:18,059 –> 00:14:20,500 poured into you. 181 00:14:20,500 –> 00:14:26,479 And we think most of us, perhaps, a great deal, from time to time about that. 182 00:14:27,419 –> 00:14:30,559 There were gifts and talents and physical features that were passed to you from your 183 00:14:30,559 –> 00:14:32,599 parents. 184 00:14:32,599 –> 00:14:38,580 But then, along with that, battles and struggles and desires that were in your father and mother 185 00:14:38,580 –> 00:14:43,820 and may also, in some degree, now be in you. 186 00:14:43,820 –> 00:14:49,859 And most of us, therefore, try to spend some time figuring out, now what is in us, and 187 00:14:49,859 –> 00:14:52,320 where did it come from? 188 00:14:52,460 –> 00:14:59,679 And when we do this, we are very simply trying to figure out who we are according to the 189 00:14:59,679 –> 00:15:00,679 flesh. 190 00:15:00,679 –> 00:15:07,080 This is all part of what’s being spoken of in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 16. 191 00:15:07,080 –> 00:15:11,760 And for some, this whole business has many more blessings than it has sorrows. 192 00:15:11,760 –> 00:15:17,039 You think primarily of what you’ve received genetically in terms of what you aspire to 193 00:15:17,039 –> 00:15:21,200 in those you have seen that you’ve gone before. 194 00:15:21,239 –> 00:15:24,780 For others, there are many more sorrows than there are blessings, and when you think of 195 00:15:24,780 –> 00:15:29,700 this whole thing, you’re thinking of what you want to try and avoid in terms of what 196 00:15:29,700 –> 00:15:31,559 has gone before. 197 00:15:32,340 –> 00:15:37,919 For some who don’t know who their biological parents are, there are open questions and 198 00:15:37,919 –> 00:15:42,099 curiosity about what is in me. 199 00:15:42,099 –> 00:15:47,960 But what I’m saying to you is that for every single one of us, this whole business is a 200 00:15:47,960 –> 00:15:53,859 mixed bag, according to the flesh. 201 00:15:53,859 –> 00:15:57,960 Which leads to number 10, experience. 202 00:15:57,960 –> 00:16:03,440 Who we are according to the flesh is shaped not only by nature, but by nurture. 203 00:16:03,440 –> 00:16:07,559 Not only by the genes that have been passed to us, but also by the environment of our 204 00:16:07,559 –> 00:16:09,840 experience. 205 00:16:09,840 –> 00:16:15,679 And so our early experiences, either of great love or of great neglect, will have significant 206 00:16:16,400 –> 00:16:20,539 on the shaping of our lives according to the flesh. 207 00:16:20,539 –> 00:16:26,460 The opportunities that come or do not come to us in our growing up years also will be 208 00:16:26,460 –> 00:16:28,500 significant. 209 00:16:28,500 –> 00:16:33,320 Some people seem to have a track in which all the doors open for them. 210 00:16:33,320 –> 00:16:38,460 And others have a track in which it seems all the doors close for them, and it makes 211 00:16:38,460 –> 00:16:46,179 a significant difference in our experience of life according to the flesh. 212 00:16:46,179 –> 00:16:48,280 So, there are 10 factors. 213 00:16:48,280 –> 00:16:52,679 When I got to 10, I thought I’ve got to stop, otherwise I’ll go on forever! 214 00:16:52,679 –> 00:16:54,820 You can discuss this in the Life groups. 215 00:16:54,820 –> 00:16:59,979 You can add other factors to the list. 216 00:16:59,979 –> 00:17:03,739 But as I’ve been reflecting on these issues, and just going through the list and saying, 217 00:17:03,780 –> 00:17:10,119 Why is it that these are the issues that are so sensitive in our world? 218 00:17:10,119 –> 00:17:16,500 I think it’s for this reason that because for many people what we are according to the 219 00:17:16,500 –> 00:17:20,160 flesh is the only thing there is. 220 00:17:20,160 –> 00:17:25,339 And if what you are according to the flesh is the only thing there is, you will always 221 00:17:25,339 –> 00:17:28,880 be uptight about who you are according to the flesh. 222 00:17:28,880 –> 00:17:33,420 You have to be if that’s all there is. 223 00:17:33,560 –> 00:17:40,439 You will always be battling it, and never find a way of coming to peace with it. 224 00:17:40,439 –> 00:17:49,900 And now that we’ve looked at these 10, I want you to see, hear, and feel the extraordinary 225 00:17:49,900 –> 00:17:57,540 power of what God says to us in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 16. 226 00:17:58,339 –> 00:18:10,040 From now on therefore, we, that is we who are in Christ, regard no one according to 227 00:18:10,040 –> 00:18:13,680 the flesh. 228 00:18:13,680 –> 00:18:18,119 That is an extraordinary radical statement. 229 00:18:18,119 –> 00:18:24,119 In a world in which everything is about what we are in the flesh, the Apostle Paul says, 230 00:18:24,119 –> 00:18:30,839 from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. 231 00:18:30,839 –> 00:18:37,400 In a world in which people’s lives are perceived to be shaped and defined by the ten factors 232 00:18:37,400 –> 00:18:43,000 that we’ve looked at and others that may be added, the Apostle says that for us who are 233 00:18:43,000 –> 00:18:52,400 in Christ, we don’t see these things as ultimately defining of any person. 234 00:18:52,400 –> 00:19:00,359 From now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. 235 00:19:00,359 –> 00:19:06,119 That we’ve tuned our minds into how extraordinarily important this is and how deeply it speaks 236 00:19:06,119 –> 00:19:14,040 to our entire world and to our personal lives, I want to put this case before you, that a 237 00:19:14,040 –> 00:19:24,020 change in how you see Jesus will lead to a change in how you see others and a change 238 00:19:24,020 –> 00:19:26,939 in how you see yourself. 239 00:19:26,939 –> 00:19:32,699 That is the thrust of these verses that are before us as we follow what the apostle Paul 240 00:19:32,699 –> 00:19:33,699 is saying. 241 00:19:33,699 –> 00:19:41,640 A change in how you see Jesus will lead to a change in how you see others and a change 242 00:19:41,699 –> 00:19:43,719 in how you see yourself. 243 00:19:43,719 –> 00:19:49,560 And this is wonderfully liberating for all who are in Christ. 244 00:19:49,560 –> 00:19:52,819 Let me build that case then in these 3 steps and start here. 245 00:19:52,819 –> 00:19:55,719 A change in how you see Jesus. 246 00:19:55,719 –> 00:19:57,599 This is where it begins. 247 00:19:57,599 –> 00:20:00,420 Look at verse 16. 248 00:20:00,420 –> 00:20:10,719 Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 249 00:20:11,060 –> 00:20:13,560 Now you see what Paul is saying? 250 00:20:13,560 –> 00:20:19,199 He is talking about the way in which he viewed Jesus, the opinion he formed about Jesus. 251 00:20:19,199 –> 00:20:24,040 And he saying, the opinion that I had of Jesus was formed entirely by what he was according 252 00:20:24,040 –> 00:20:26,479 to the flesh. 253 00:20:26,479 –> 00:20:31,680 A Jewish man born into a poor family, raised in an obscure village, a carpenter by trade, 254 00:20:31,680 –> 00:20:38,000 of unusual ability in leading others, who hung out with sometimes embarrassing friends 255 00:20:38,000 –> 00:20:44,619 and died early in life without owning more than the robe for which the soldiers gambled 256 00:20:44,619 –> 00:20:49,160 while he hung on the cross. 257 00:20:49,160 –> 00:20:52,619 That was my opinion of Jesus. 258 00:20:52,619 –> 00:20:56,979 And all of these people worshipping him, therefore was the most offensive thing imaginable to 259 00:20:56,979 –> 00:20:58,000 me. 260 00:20:58,000 –> 00:21:00,660 That’s what Paul is saying. 261 00:21:01,640 –> 00:21:08,540 Now, as you read the Gospels, there are actually multiple examples of people who dismissed 262 00:21:08,540 –> 00:21:12,900 Jesus because they regarded Him according to the flesh. 263 00:21:12,900 –> 00:21:17,459 And because people still do this today, I want us to take a moment to show you this. 264 00:21:17,459 –> 00:21:20,459 Let me give you some examples. 265 00:21:20,459 –> 00:21:25,859 In John chapter 6 and verse 42, Jesus says, I am the bread of life. 266 00:21:25,859 –> 00:21:30,439 He’s been saying I’m the bread of life that came down from heaven, that the crowd don’t 267 00:21:30,680 –> 00:21:34,599 like what He’s saying, they begin to grumble and here’s what they said. 268 00:21:34,599 –> 00:21:43,640 Is this not Jesus, the son of Mary and Joseph, who is father and mother we know. 269 00:21:43,640 –> 00:21:48,880 As you go down your 10 factors of what shapes us according to the flesh and they’re dismissing 270 00:21:48,880 –> 00:21:49,880 Jesus. 271 00:21:49,880 –> 00:21:50,880 Why? 272 00:21:50,880 –> 00:21:52,439 On the basis of His family of origin, they’re saying. 273 00:21:52,439 –> 00:21:54,260 We know His parents. 274 00:21:54,260 –> 00:21:56,079 So how can He possibly be the bread of life? 275 00:21:56,859 –> 00:22:00,819 so they completely dismiss him on the basis of family. 276 00:22:00,819 –> 00:22:03,660 Matthew chapter 13. 277 00:22:03,660 –> 00:22:10,140 When Jesus comes into his hometown of Nazareth and they listen to him speak. 278 00:22:10,140 –> 00:22:18,619 The scripture says, Matthew 13 and verse 55, is this not the carpenter’s son? 279 00:22:18,619 –> 00:22:21,099 Now, you go down your list of 10. 280 00:22:21,099 –> 00:22:22,099 What are they doing there? 281 00:22:22,400 –> 00:22:25,400 They’re dismissing Jesus because they view him according to the flesh. 282 00:22:25,400 –> 00:22:27,599 And they’ve got him tagged, why? 283 00:22:27,599 –> 00:22:28,599 By his job. 284 00:22:28,599 –> 00:22:30,760 He’s a carpenter’s son. 285 00:22:30,760 –> 00:22:33,420 He follows in the line of the carpenter. 286 00:22:33,420 –> 00:22:34,420 That’s what he does. 287 00:22:34,420 –> 00:22:40,680 How can these things that he’s been saying be true when he’s simply a carpenter? 288 00:22:40,680 –> 00:22:42,260 Mark chapter 2 and verse 16. 289 00:22:42,260 –> 00:22:45,900 Here are all these people rejecting Jesus, dismissing him. 290 00:22:45,900 –> 00:22:46,900 Why? 291 00:22:46,900 –> 00:22:48,660 Because they only view him according to the flesh. 292 00:22:48,660 –> 00:22:51,660 The Pharisees see the company that he’s keeping. 293 00:22:51,680 –> 00:22:59,060 And they ask this question of the disciples, why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners? 294 00:22:59,060 –> 00:23:02,020 And the Pharisees are dismissing Jesus. 295 00:23:02,020 –> 00:23:03,000 Why? 296 00:23:03,000 –> 00:23:05,760 Because they are judging him according to the flesh. 297 00:23:05,760 –> 00:23:10,880 And in particular, they have come to this conclusion because they’ve looked at the friends 298 00:23:10,880 –> 00:23:12,140 he is keeping. 299 00:23:12,140 –> 00:23:18,339 He’s in that circle of people there, so he cannot possibly be the Messiah. 300 00:23:18,339 –> 00:23:21,199 Let me add to this one, because there are so many. 301 00:23:21,380 –> 00:23:27,300 And in John 7 and verse 41, when the Pharisees are debating the claims of Jesus and one of 302 00:23:27,300 –> 00:23:30,180 them says, can the Christ come from Galilee? 303 00:23:30,180 –> 00:23:33,380 Well, you see, that’s the location of the home. 304 00:23:33,380 –> 00:23:40,160 And they’re dismissing Jesus on the basis of judging him according to the flesh. 305 00:23:40,160 –> 00:23:47,339 And then you remember Pilate and he puts up the sign above Jesus on the cross. 306 00:23:47,479 –> 00:23:52,359 And Pilate has dismissed Jesus because he regards Him according to the flesh. 307 00:23:52,359 –> 00:23:54,280 He does not see him as the Son of God. 308 00:23:54,280 –> 00:23:57,199 And so, he puts up the sign, and what is it? 309 00:23:57,199 –> 00:24:02,819 This Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. 310 00:24:02,819 –> 00:24:07,619 And there’s a racial slur there without doubt which is why the Jews the Bible says came 311 00:24:07,619 –> 00:24:10,880 back and said, can you change what you’ve written? 312 00:24:10,880 –> 00:24:14,719 Pilate says, what I have written, I have written. 313 00:24:14,719 –> 00:24:15,719 It’s a racial slur. 314 00:24:16,099 –> 00:24:22,739 But here’s the best of them, the King of the Jews. 315 00:24:22,739 –> 00:24:32,479 So all through the gospels, you have clear examples of people who dismissed Jesus because 316 00:24:32,479 –> 00:24:36,140 they regarded him according to the flesh. 317 00:24:36,140 –> 00:24:45,260 They formed an opinion of Him based on family, based on work, based on home location, based 318 00:24:45,300 –> 00:24:48,479 on race. 319 00:24:48,479 –> 00:24:54,939 And the Apostle Paul says in the verse that’s before us today, that’s what I was regarding 320 00:24:54,939 –> 00:24:59,800 Jesus according to the flesh. 321 00:24:59,800 –> 00:25:02,760 Now how did that change? 322 00:25:02,760 –> 00:25:06,660 The answer, of course, is the resurrection. 323 00:25:06,660 –> 00:25:11,819 And it changed for the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus, when the risen Lord Jesus 324 00:25:11,819 –> 00:25:15,180 appeared to him. 325 00:25:15,199 –> 00:25:18,680 Saul, Saul, I am Jesus who you persecute. 326 00:25:18,680 –> 00:25:22,020 He sees the risen Lord. 327 00:25:22,020 –> 00:25:27,680 And from that moment he cannot possibly write off Jesus as a misguided Jew who died on the 328 00:25:27,680 –> 00:25:29,219 cross. 329 00:25:29,219 –> 00:25:34,880 Friends, for those of you who are struggling with whether you should really come to a commitment 330 00:25:34,880 –> 00:25:41,000 of faith in Jesus Christ, let me try and make this very simple for you today. 331 00:25:41,479 –> 00:25:50,280 Either Jesus Christ is the sovereign risen Lord who by virtue of who he is and what he 332 00:25:50,280 –> 00:25:56,119 did in his birth, life, death, and resurrection, either he’s the sovereign Lord who by virtue 333 00:25:56,119 –> 00:26:06,800 of who he is and what he has done lays claim to your life and to every life or Christianity 334 00:26:06,800 –> 00:26:10,479 should be thrown out completely. 335 00:26:10,479 –> 00:26:19,760 If Jesus Christ truly is raised from the dead, he is in a category of one as the unique Sovereign 336 00:26:19,760 –> 00:26:20,760 Lord. 337 00:26:20,760 –> 00:26:25,959 If Jesus rose from the dead for you to push him away is the height of madness. 338 00:26:25,959 –> 00:26:31,959 And if he’s not the reigning Lord, why are you even tinkering with Christianity? 339 00:26:31,959 –> 00:26:33,599 What would be the point? 340 00:26:34,359 –> 00:26:43,140 Now you see this is the great transformation that has come in the mind of the Apostle Paul. 341 00:26:43,140 –> 00:26:48,339 He had come to the conclusion that Christianity should be rejected completely because he judged 342 00:26:48,339 –> 00:26:51,060 Jesus according to the flesh. 343 00:26:51,060 –> 00:26:53,199 That’s why he persecuted the church. 344 00:26:53,199 –> 00:26:55,319 That’s why he set out to destroy it. 345 00:26:55,319 –> 00:26:56,319 Why? 346 00:26:56,319 –> 00:27:02,500 Because he regarded Jesus according to the flesh and as long as he did that, the idea 347 00:27:02,619 –> 00:27:09,619 of one man laying claim to the lives and the loyalty of all others seemed to him to be 348 00:27:11,660 –> 00:27:15,839 completely and utterly preposterous. 349 00:27:15,839 –> 00:27:18,699 And of course there are many who’ve come to that conclusion today. 350 00:27:18,699 –> 00:27:23,739 How can you say that Jesus is the only person by whom we can come to God? 351 00:27:23,739 –> 00:27:29,060 How can you say that Jesus can claim to be first in your life and first in every person’s 352 00:27:29,060 –> 00:27:30,060 life? 353 00:27:30,060 –> 00:27:31,060 Isn’t that preposterous? 354 00:27:31,060 –> 00:27:35,680 It could be if you regarded Jesus according to the flesh. 355 00:27:35,680 –> 00:27:41,560 But you see, when Paul is confronted by the risen Lord, he finds himself offering his 356 00:27:41,560 –> 00:27:48,579 own life into the hands of the one he had previously despised. 357 00:27:48,579 –> 00:27:53,359 And that’s why he says, even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we 358 00:27:53,359 –> 00:27:57,420 regard Him thus no longer. 359 00:27:57,420 –> 00:28:02,619 And I want you to notice the significance of the word we here, it’s not I, it’s we. 360 00:28:02,619 –> 00:28:07,800 He includes himself because this great transformation in his view of Jesus has happened in his own 361 00:28:07,800 –> 00:28:15,119 life, but it’s not limited to him as a person who directly saw the risen Lord Jesus Christ. 362 00:28:15,119 –> 00:28:20,520 Now, what he’s saying is that this is the core truth about every person who really is 363 00:28:20,520 –> 00:28:26,459 a Christian, that a Christian is a person who has come to a new opinion about Jesus 364 00:28:26,819 –> 00:28:29,800 on the basis of the resurrection. 365 00:28:29,800 –> 00:28:33,939 We no longer regard him as a figure of history according to the flesh. 366 00:28:33,939 –> 00:28:35,479 We see much more than that. 367 00:28:35,479 –> 00:28:42,939 We’ve come to worship him as the risen Lord, as the sovereign king, as the gracious redeemer, 368 00:28:42,939 –> 00:28:47,239 as God with us and God for us. 369 00:28:47,239 –> 00:28:51,339 Now that’s at the core. 370 00:28:51,339 –> 00:28:57,040 To put it in the New Testament’s question, what do you think of Jesus Christ? 371 00:28:57,040 –> 00:29:02,040 Because what he claims and how he is presented in the Bible to you is this, that he is the 372 00:29:02,040 –> 00:29:09,839 sovereign Lord who lays claim to your life and to every life, and that to fight against 373 00:29:09,839 –> 00:29:17,540 him is a battle you can never, never, never win. 374 00:29:17,739 –> 00:29:21,780 A change in how you see Jesus. 375 00:29:21,780 –> 00:29:24,439 And here’s the application that Paul is making. 376 00:29:24,439 –> 00:29:32,699 A change in how you see Jesus will lead to a change in how you see others. 377 00:29:32,699 –> 00:29:38,979 We no longer regard Jesus according to the flesh and from now on, verse 16, therefore 378 00:29:38,979 –> 00:29:45,339 we regard no one according to the flesh. 379 00:29:46,180 –> 00:29:55,619 Friends, here’s something that is beautiful and unique to the body of Christ. 380 00:29:55,640 –> 00:30:02,780 The things that make us different according to the flesh are overwhelmed by the new life 381 00:30:02,780 –> 00:30:08,640 that is enjoyed by those who are in Jesus Christ. 382 00:30:08,640 –> 00:30:15,319 In the flesh, our life was living for ourselves, and so it’s all about which group is going 383 00:30:15,339 –> 00:30:23,020 to gain precedence in the endless struggle that revolves around the 10 factors that differentiate 384 00:30:23,020 –> 00:30:27,239 us, make us different. 385 00:30:27,239 –> 00:30:33,800 But in the body of Christ, where new life has come through Jesus Christ, these things 386 00:30:33,800 –> 00:30:41,520 that make us different are simply overwhelmed by what now binds us together in our new life 387 00:30:41,560 –> 00:30:46,239 that is received from him and shared in him. 388 00:30:46,239 –> 00:30:52,180 That is why, very wonderfully, in Galatians 3, the apostle says this of those who are 389 00:30:52,180 –> 00:30:54,400 in Christ, He says, 390 00:30:54,400 –> 00:30:58,359 In Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek. 391 00:30:58,359 –> 00:31:02,319 In Christ there is neither slave nor free. 392 00:31:02,319 –> 00:31:05,459 In Christ, there is neither male nor female. 393 00:31:06,459 –> 00:31:10,640 For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 394 00:31:10,640 –> 00:31:18,000 That is something that is not possible in the world because in the world it’s all about 395 00:31:18,000 –> 00:31:21,280 what we are in the flesh. 396 00:31:21,280 –> 00:31:28,239 But in the body there is a new life that is about who we are in Jesus Christ, and that 397 00:31:28,260 –> 00:31:35,560 is why the church offers for all who are in Jesus Christ, the wonderful possibility of 398 00:31:35,560 –> 00:31:41,199 pursuing a new community in which that which makes us different is overcome by that which 399 00:31:41,199 –> 00:31:42,979 makes us one. 400 00:31:42,979 –> 00:31:52,099 A community in which men and women of every race, people of every appearance and age, 401 00:31:52,099 –> 00:31:58,140 people of every background and experience, people from every trade and profession, every 402 00:31:58,260 –> 00:32:06,979 level of ability, are brought together in one body in the Lord. 403 00:32:07,000 –> 00:32:08,000 Why? 404 00:32:08,000 –> 00:32:12,140 Because we’ve all been brought to peace with the same God through the blood of the same 405 00:32:12,140 –> 00:32:18,459 Saviour and we have submitted our very, very different lives to the authority of the same 406 00:32:18,459 –> 00:32:19,459 Lord. 407 00:32:19,459 –> 00:32:21,199 That’s beautiful. 408 00:32:21,199 –> 00:32:29,859 And it’s only possible when Christ is at the center and where Christ is exalted. 409 00:32:29,859 –> 00:32:33,900 That’s why we want to be a church that is Christ exalting, because that’s what’s going 410 00:32:33,900 –> 00:32:36,839 to pull people together around him. 411 00:32:36,839 –> 00:32:42,380 Exalt anything else and what makes us different will be all that will be apparent. 412 00:32:42,380 –> 00:32:50,680 So, a change in how you see Jesus no longer according to the flesh but as the exalted 413 00:32:50,739 –> 00:32:57,160 and the risen Lord, leading directly to a change in how we regard and relate to one 414 00:32:57,160 –> 00:32:59,380 another. 415 00:32:59,380 –> 00:33:04,900 And lastly, a change in how you see Jesus will lead to a change in how you see others 416 00:33:04,900 –> 00:33:07,459 and a change in how you see yourself. 417 00:33:07,459 –> 00:33:08,459 Why? 418 00:33:08,459 –> 00:33:15,619 Because verse 17, if anyone is in Christ he or she is a new creation. 419 00:33:15,619 –> 00:33:19,300 That’s true of every Christian. 420 00:33:19,300 –> 00:33:26,839 Being a new creation means very simply that there is more to you than what is in you according 421 00:33:26,839 –> 00:33:29,180 to the flesh. 422 00:33:29,180 –> 00:33:35,380 Ther is more to you than what is in you according to the flesh. 423 00:33:35,380 –> 00:33:38,339 You have been reconciled to God. 424 00:33:38,339 –> 00:33:41,939 You have been adopted into His family. 425 00:33:41,939 –> 00:33:46,540 You have an inheritance in heaven that can never spoil or fade. 426 00:33:46,540 –> 00:33:49,140 The Holy Spirit lives within you. 427 00:33:49,160 –> 00:33:55,979 Your little life, my little life has been caught up into the eternal sweep of the great 428 00:33:55,979 –> 00:33:59,119 redeeming purpose of God. 429 00:33:59,599 –> 00:34:04,819 And so when you are tempted to lose heart because of what you are according to the flesh, 430 00:34:04,819 –> 00:34:13,080 take heart from who you are, Christian brother or sister, in Jesus Christ. 431 00:34:13,080 –> 00:34:17,219 And remember this when you become discouraged about issues relating to the flesh. 432 00:34:17,699 –> 00:34:23,000 There are natural gifts that may impress people who judge according to the flesh but there 433 00:34:23,000 –> 00:34:30,780 are spiritual gifts that Christ gives that will make you really useful in life for him. 434 00:34:30,780 –> 00:34:36,139 There is a natural beauty that may get a face on the cover of a magazine but there is a 435 00:34:36,139 –> 00:34:42,080 spiritual beauty that brings pleasure to the heart of God. 436 00:34:42,080 –> 00:34:46,719 There is a natural strength that can come from developing your muscles but there is 437 00:34:46,719 –> 00:34:52,580 a spiritual strength that God can give to bring you through the hardest of trials. 438 00:34:52,580 –> 00:34:59,919 There is a material wealth that will last only for a time but there is a spiritual wealth 439 00:34:59,919 –> 00:35:06,580 that will last for an eternity and if you have had experiences in the flesh that have 440 00:35:06,679 –> 00:35:13,679 broken your heart, remember this, that there are experiences of the love of Christ in the 441 00:35:14,840 –> 00:35:21,820 Spirit that are able to rebuild your soul. So from now on we regard no one according 442 00:35:24,159 –> 00:35:31,159 to the flesh. Why? Because if anyone is in Christ, he or she is a new creation. 443 00:35:31,199 –> 00:35:36,199 So a change in how you see Jesus is going to lead to a change in how you see others. 444 00:35:41,060 –> 00:35:48,060 And as He’s the Sovereign Lord of your life, it’s going to lead to a change in how you 445 00:35:48,060 –> 00:35:53,060 see yourself. So wrapping this up in these last moments, if you judge yourself according 446 00:35:53,739 –> 00:36:00,739 to the flesh, you’ll either spend your life looking down on other people because you see 447 00:36:03,300 –> 00:36:09,199 yourself as superior and more gifted and all this kind of thing. More successful. Or you 448 00:36:09,199 –> 00:36:16,199 will always be losing heart because you see that others have more gifts, more talents, 449 00:36:16,760 –> 00:36:22,520 more advantages in life and more opportunities than you do. And here is the wonderfully good 450 00:36:22,520 –> 00:36:29,520 news, that Jesus Christ does not regard us according to the flesh. Aren’t you thankful 451 00:36:30,340 –> 00:36:37,340 for that? Jesus Christ does not regard us according to the flesh. If Jesus Christ regarded 452 00:36:37,340 –> 00:36:44,360 us according to the flesh, who would be in heaven? All the ones who were in class X, 453 00:36:49,479 –> 00:36:55,620 and possibly class G. And the rest of us in TH and K would not have a chance if Christ 454 00:36:55,620 –> 00:37:02,379 regarded us according to the flesh. Who would be in heaven if Christ regarded us according 455 00:37:02,379 –> 00:37:07,120 to the flesh? The super talented, God would take an interest in them, the super successful, 456 00:37:07,280 –> 00:37:14,280 the super rich perhaps, the super healthy. Thank God, Jesus Christ does not regard us 457 00:37:18,199 –> 00:37:22,379 according to the flesh. In fact he says this, you he says to the 458 00:37:22,379 –> 00:37:28,879 pharisees, judge according to the flesh. I judge no one. Of course he doesn’t mean that 459 00:37:28,879 –> 00:37:33,379 he’s not the judge. The Bible tells us he is the judge. What he’s saying here is I don’t 460 00:37:33,379 –> 00:37:39,360 judge as you do. You judge according to the flesh. I don’t. I don’t form an opinion about 461 00:37:39,360 –> 00:37:43,459 people and decide whether I’m going to take an interest in them on the basis of their 462 00:37:43,459 –> 00:37:47,139 appearance, their ability, their age, their friends, their race, their gender, their work, 463 00:37:47,139 –> 00:37:54,139 their home, their family or their experience. What you are according to the flesh, friend, 464 00:37:54,260 –> 00:38:00,219 will not make Jesus more interested in you and it cannot make Jesus less interested in 465 00:38:01,139 –> 00:38:04,760 you. He’s not drawn to you because of these things, because of what you are in the flesh 466 00:38:04,760 –> 00:38:11,760 and he certainly will not be kept from you because of what you are in the flesh. So our 467 00:38:12,459 –> 00:38:19,459 Jesus offers himself to every person of every race, of every ability, of every background, 468 00:38:20,479 –> 00:38:26,939 at every economic level, every kind of work and he does it without partiality. And he 469 00:38:27,260 –> 00:38:33,719 offers himself as the living Savior and as the reigning Lord. And whatever you are according 470 00:38:33,719 –> 00:38:40,719 to the flesh, he is able to make of you a new creation. If anyone is in Christ he, she 471 00:38:45,020 –> 00:38:52,020 is a new creation. So what matters most about you is not what you are in the flesh, in anyone 472 00:38:52,679 –> 00:38:59,679 or even all of these ten areas. But are you in Christ? And when you are in Christ and 473 00:39:02,919 –> 00:39:09,919 he is your risen Savior and your reigning Lord, then what he thinks of you, what he 474 00:39:12,860 –> 00:39:19,860 thinks of you, is the one thing and, ultimately, the only thing that really matters. And it 475 00:39:22,300 –> 00:39:27,080 is why a change in the way that you see Jesus is going to lead to a change in the way you 476 00:39:27,080 –> 00:39:34,080 see others and a change in the way that you see yourself so that you will not lose heart. 477 00:39:37,500 –> 00:39:44,500 Father, thank you for the transforming power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in lives like 478 00:39:44,500 –> 00:39:51,500 ours in a world like this. We thank you, in Jesus’ name, amen.