The Apostle Paul wrote the second letter to the Corinthians for the purpose of defending his apostleship. It seems that there was a group of false teachers in Corinth who were seeking a following among the people. In the effort to get others to follow them, they used the tactic of denouncing and belittling the apostolic authority of Paul. One of the accusations they leveled at the apostle was that he "lived by the standards of the world" (v. 2). In response, Paul countered that the entire focus of his ministry was not directed toward those things that are outward, but on those that are inward. As Paul declared to the Ephesians, he recognized that his "struggle was not against flesh and blood" (Ephesians 6:12), but that it was a spiritual warfare he was engaged in. He reminds the Corinthians in verses 3 through 5 that his was a ministry focused on changing the hearts, and thus, the lives, of men and women by the power of Christ. However, with "tongue in cheek," Paul does say that once the Corinthians came to their senses and were ready to once again embrace him as a true servant of God, he would gladly come to Corinth to "punish every act of disobedience" (v. 6) - a reference to his dealing with the false teachers who were seeking to draw them astray.
All this having been said, I want us to focus in on what Paul says in verses 3-5, because there, he describes what process that needs to take place in the life of the believer to see them grow spiritually and become more like Jesus. Paul describes here what the Lord wants to do in the heart of His children.
Concerning the heart, the Bible tells us, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do." ~ Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)
The process of discipleship-the process of spiritual growth, whereby I become more like Jesus-is a matter of the heart. If the way I live is going to be changed, then that change must happen in my heart.
1. A disciple is one who has allowed Christ to touch their heart -
This is where living a changed life must start, with allowing Christ to touch my heart, for life was designed by God to be lived from the inside out, not the outside in. This was the point Jesus made with the religious leaders of His day:
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also."
~ Matthew 23:25-26 (NASB)
"He replied, ‘Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me."’"
~ Mark 7:6 (NIV)
When God works to change the life of a person, He begins by touching their heart. It might be helpful at this point to understand the way man was originally made by God. The Bible tells us that man was created with three aspects to his being:
"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground (body), and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (spirit); and man became a living soul (soul)." ~ Genesis 2:7 (KJV)
"May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together--spirit, soul, and body--and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ." ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (The Message)
Man was created with a body-a physical being.
Man’s body was the means whereby he was conscious of his world.
Because he was created physically perfect, man was healthy.
2) Man was created with a soul-a psychological being. Man could think with his mind, feel with his emotions, and choose with his will.
Man’s soul was the means whereby he was conscious of himself.
Because he was created psychologically perfect, man was happy.
3) Man was created with a spirit-a spiritual being.
Man’s spirit was the means whereby he was conscious of his God.
Because he was created spiritually perfect, man was holy.
As man communed with God, he was influenced by God’s Word, which led him to think as he ought to think, fell as he ought to feel, choose as he ought to choose, and live as he ought to live. Because of his perfect communion with God, man could live as God designed him to live, and thus lead all of creation to bring glory to God.
However, God did not create man to live as an automaton, blindly carrying out the will of his creator. God desired that man be a willing servant, not a mindless slave. God desired to have a love relationship with man; and we all know that love that is not freely given is not love at all.
Therefore, man had to be given opportunity to choose to willingly live as God designed him to live. That opportunity was given to him in the form of a fruit tree-the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Now, there was nothing magical our mysterious about the fruit of this tree. We do not know if it was an apple, a banana, or some fruit that no longer exists. The point is that God chose this particular tree to afford man opportunity to make his choice. In partaking of the fruit of this tree, man was saying that he was choosing to reject God’s authority, to no longer trust what God had to say about good and evil. He would, instead, be an authority unto himself, deciding for himself what was good and evil. Unfortunately, that is exactly the choice that man made.
Satan came to Eve and Adam in the guise of a serpent and persuaded them to choose to go their own way rather than God’s way by . . .
Leading them to look for guidance from the world instead of the Word -
"For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one’s own resources or in the stability of earthly things]--these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself]." ~ 1 John 2:16 (Amplified)
He always calls us to operate by our feelings, rather than by faith! This is the same approach he took with Eve and Adam -
"The woman was convinced. The fruit looked so fresh and delicious (emotions), and it would make her so wise (mind)! So she ate some of the fruit (will). She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. Then he ate it, too." ~ Genesis 3:6 (NLT)
What was the consequence of man’s choice? God’s judgment of death was passed upon all mankind -
"You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." ~ Genesis 2:17 (NIV)
Literally, "dying, you will die."
1. Man died immediately in his spirit since he was cut off from the source of all life-God Himself-
"AND YOU [He made alive], when you were dead (slain) by [your] trespasses and sins. In which at one time you walked [habitually]. You were following the course and fashion of this world [were under the sway of the tendency of this present age], following the prince of the power of the air." ~ Ephesians 2:1-2a (Amplified)
2. Man died progressively in his soul as Satan’s influence through the world led him more and more into darkness. Man’s heart became darkened-
"Their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools." ~ Romans 1:21-22 (NIV)
Consequently, man’s perspective and understanding was darkened as well-
"They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts." ~ Ephesians 4:18 (NIV)
3. Man died ultimately in his body -
"Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences." ~ Hebrews 9:27 (NIV)
What are the consequences awaiting those who are separated from God by sin?
"Those who refuse to know God and refuse to obey the Message will pay for what they’ve done. Eternal exile from the presence of the Master and his splendid power is their
sentence." ~ 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 (The Message)
Note that this destiny awaits only those who refuse to respond to the Message of the Good News. You see, Christ came to reverse all this, and restore man to the place of once again having a heart that is responsive to God. Through His sacrifice on the cross, Jesus has taken the punishment we were condemned to pay, so that the barrier of sin in our lives might be removed, and it be possible for us to once again have a personal relationship with God. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, through the person of His Spirit, the Light of the world enters our hearts and dispelled the darkness!
"God Who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts so as [to beam forth] the Light . . ." ~ 2 Corinthians 4:6 (Amplified)
"Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’" ~ Galatians 4:6 (NIV)
Because Christ has been allowed to touch my heart, I can think differently, feel differently, choose differently, and live differently!
"I’ve changed!" That’s what you need to believe if, indeed, Christ has touched your heart! That is what His Spirit is constantly telling you.
You are not a child of Satan, you are a child of God! You are not to look to the world, but you are to look to the Word! You are not to walk by your feelings, you’re to walk by faith! As you allow the Spirit to influence you through God’s Word, your mind will be renewed, causing you to feel about things as you ought to, and make the choices you ought to, so you might live the life you were made to live!
Like Henry in the movie, we need to reject the old way of life and choose to learn how to live the changed life that we now have because Christ has touched our heart!
The Old Way Has to Go
"And so I insist--and God backs me up on this--that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty-headed, mindless crowd. They’ve refused for so long to deal with God that they’ve lost touch not only with God but with reality itself. They can’t think straight anymore. Feeling no pain, they let themselves go in sexual obsession, addicted to every sort of perversion. But that’s no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything--and I do mean everything--connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life--a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you." ~ Ephesians 4:17-24 (The Message)
Conclusion: The point is this: You do not have to continue living as you are! Christ came to change your life from the inside out! He can only do this if you allow Him to touch your heart.
Some of you need to make the commitment today to allow Christ to touch your heart. This is what we mean when we speak of inviting Jesus into your heart. We are not using childish language, we are seeking to emphasize that salvation is a personal experience with the living Lord, whereby He is allow entrance into your innermost self to change you from the inside out, and change you for all eternity! It has been said that some people have missed salvation by 9 inches-the distance from the head to their heart. Don’t be among them!
Some of you need to make the commitment today to allow Christ to transform your heart. We will speak more about this next week, but today is the day that you need to decide to confess, "I’ve changed!" And decide you are not going to live the old life any more, but they you are going to learn how to live the changed life that is yours because Christ has touched your heart.
