Love Wins

Redemption: reveals Jesus as the answer, He did something for us and does something in us personally to make a personal relationship with Him possible.

Restoration: the topic of today. The now and the not yet.

It seems to me most people even many Christians believe the Gospel ends with redemption and a person’s salvation. They look at personal salvation as a destination, as having arrived. However to think once I'm saved that's it, now I get to go to heaven when I die is a misunderstanding of the Bible. This would be like thinking once the marriage ceremony is over that's it we're married, we've arrived, my work is done. That perspective would be catastrophic in a marriage, the wedding is only the beginning, now comes the work required to maintain intimacy, and fulfill the purpose of that relationship, as well as the joy of realizing the depth of the joy that comes with continual abiding.

So following the act of redemption, where Jesus has paid our debt and personally joined our life to His we begin the journey of restoration. The work of restoration involves something we call sanctification, the changing our our character from being morally corrupt to reflecting the character of God as we were intended to do as His image bearers. This is a life long relational process, however it is not works based behaviorism, not a program, it is a Spirit led, joy filled, basking in the grace of God for calling us His treasured possession, and living out the love He has imparted on us in our daily lives. Sanctification involves both the work of God and our response to God's grace, not in order to earn love, but out of affection for what He has earned for us. This process starts at salvation, and continues till our death or the return of Christ when He will make all things new. His return will also mean the end of the consequences of sin. He will judge those who rejected relationship with Him and then recreate the earth where we will live eternally with Him as we were intended to in the garden. For a picture of restoration in scripture lets look at as our framework, then apply this didactic teaching to the narratives of and Acts 1-2. In these texts we see God provide life, purpose, relationship, and people respond in expectancy.

2 Corinthians 5:16–21 HCSB

From now on, then, we do not know anyone in a purely human way. Even if we have known Christ in a purely human way, yet now we no longer know Him in this way. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come. Everything is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, certain that God is appealing through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.” He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

2 Corinthians 5:16–6:2 CSB

From now on, then, we do not know anyone from a worldly perspective. Even if we have known Christ from a worldly perspective, yet now we no longer know him in this way. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come! Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf: “Be reconciled to God.” He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Working together with him, we also appeal to you, “Don’t receive the grace of God in vain.” For he says: At an acceptable time I listened to you, and in the day of salvation I helped you. See, now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation!

2 Corinthians 5:17–21 HCSB

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come. Everything is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, certain that God is appealing through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.” He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

2 Corinthians 5:16-6:2

2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Life v17

New Creation

The old has passed away and the new has come. This text tells us we have been qualitatively changed, given new life. It tells us it is made possible through redemption, but doesn’t tell us how. Lets look both to creation and the narrative of Act’s to see how.

In God formed man and breathed the breath of life into him. Here we see in the beginning God was the source of life and that life was a gift. Now in the end of the gospel accounts of John and Luke we see the resurrected Jesus give life to His followers and promise the Spirit will soon be given to them. In it says that Jesus opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and in it seems to reveal how, "He breathed on them and said receive the Holy Spirit." Just like in the original creation God's breath brought life, not just being awake but the quality of life that is abiding in intimacy with God, here after His resurrection He began the restorative act of providing life through His breath again. Then in &8 Jesus promised the restorative power of the Holy Spirit for the purpose of restoring not just them but people throughout the entire world. Also in the Spirit in a mighty rushing wind from heaven filled the disciples then was also promised in verse 38 to any who responded to the gospel. The words used in Hebrew in the Genesis account and in Greek in the New Testament accounts for breath and wind contain a meaning that depicts both wind and spirit, specifically a breath that enables a spiritual response and life with God. So both in the original creation and in God's work of restoring His creation His breath is the source of life. He personally interacts with individuals providing this gift of life. This is the circumcision of the heart promised by God in ; ; ; and . Jesus didn’t come to make bad people good people but dead people alive!

Purpose v18

We also see in both the Genesis account as well as the Acts account that after giving life, God also gives purpose. We were neither created or redeemed merely to exist, we were left to figure out what to do, God had and has a purpose for our lives. In God placed man in the garden to work it, and watch over it. In God commanded humanity to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it, ruling the rest of the Lords creatures. From the beginning we were given a purpose, to care for God's creation and be productive. Then in Jesus promised the gift of the Holy Spirit for a purpose, so that they would be witnesses throughout the earth for the purpose of restoring others. Again we see they were given life, and the purpose of multiplying, filling the earth with Spirit filled humans. In the beginning God gave humanity the purpose of continuing His work of creation, and after Jesus redeemed us He gave His people the purpose of continuing His work of restoration filling the fallen world with pockets of heaven on earth now, and in so doing filling heaven with many souls for eternity.

I see this idea plaguing people often, both outside the church and in the church. Many people who profess to be Christians struggle with lack of purpose, their relationship with God doesn't feel real, they don't experience Him, and He seems more like an idea on paper than a person they can relate to. It seems to me this is all a result of either passively or actively rejecting His purpose for their lives, which involves relationships. Relationships are necessary and they are a gift.

So that purpose for us now is first revival in me, then revival through me.

1. Revival in me

Romans 8:28–30 CSB

We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.

Romans 10:9–10 CSB

If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.

Belief in the heart results in righteousness.

Romans 12:2 CSB

Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

Romans 12:2

We are involved, offer our lives through obedience. Renew our mind, change our perspective/thinking.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 CSB

All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Word

Galatians 5:23 HCSB

gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:25 CSB

If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

Galatians 5:25

Follow the Spirit

2. Revival through me

The goal has always been multiplication, and using our blessing for the purpose of blessing others. Once I have been revived, and God has started a work in me then He can and will do a work through me.

Jesus charged His disciples, and us to make disciples. and had already given them the great promise, , the gates of hell would not prevail against them.

Relationship v18-20

Gave us a ministry, We are ambassadors.

A relationship with God was never intended to be just Me and God, it was also intended to me We and God.

We also see here that God provided relationship both in creation and in restoration. A personal relationship with God has never been just ME and God, it has always been WE and God. In fact in prior to sin entering the picture we see loneliness as a problem. When it was just man and God, God for the first time in all of creation said something wasn't good. It wasn't good for man to be alone. He wasn't intended to just live life on his own. Humanity wasn't complete until there was a they, and they were living in harmony together with each other and with God. We also see this in His work of restoration. On the day of Jesus resurrection He rounded up His scattering disciples, and commanded them to stay together in Jerusalem and wait for the Spirit before starting the work of restoring others. Throughout His ministry He spoke of His church, the called out people of God, that had a mission. His people had a mission and part of that mission was to work as a team, to serve one another and the world. For us to think our relationship with God is just personal and we don't need to be part of a church community or share our faith is to reject God's commands and intentions, it is to misunderstand the gospel itself. We are actually saying "It IS good for man to be alone" and my purpose is focused on me, rather than on what God has saved me for. But we can’t do this task in us or through us alone. Jesus gave instructions for accountability in the church, interceding for the sins of our family members in Christ, and carrying one another’s burdens.

Matthew 18:15–20 HCSB

“If your brother sins against you, go and rebuke him in private. If he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he won’t listen, take one or two more with you, so that by the testimony of two or three witnesses every fact may be established. If he pays no attention to them, tell the church. But if he doesn’t pay attention even to the church, let him be like an unbeliever and a tax collector to you. I assure you: Whatever you bind on earth is already bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth is already loosed in heaven. Again, I assure you: If two of you on earth agree about any matter that you pray for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there among them.”

Matthew 18:15-20

1 John 5:14–16 CSB

This is the confidence we have before him: If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked of him. If anyone sees a fellow believer committing a sin that doesn’t lead to death, he should ask, and God will give life to him—to those who commit sin that doesn’t lead to death. There is sin that leads to death. I am not saying he should pray about that.

1 John 5:

Galatians 6:1–2 CSB

Brothers and sisters, if someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual, restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so that you also won’t be tempted. Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Example of need and productivity of relationships.

cleaning my bathtub, then stove/oven

What if we had friends that loved us enough to point out the grim in our lives? What if we loved others enough to do that for them?

Expectancy v21-6:2

So that we might become the righteousness of God. We should expect to be transformed into God’s image, change inside out, and used to transform the world. We are commanded to work together with Him pleading others to respond as well, expecting God will do the miraculous.

Finally we respond with expectancy. This expectancy can be either good or bad. For example in the garden Adam and Eve acted in the wrong expectancy when it came to God's command not to eat the forbidden fruit. If they expected their obedience to result in their greatest joy, and the consequences to be real they wouldn't have been tempted to eat the fruit. They expected to get away with it, and the result was devastation. However in Acts we see the disciples expected God to do miraculous things in their lives and through their lives, and their response was to obey and act. He said wait for the Spirit, and they waited, and when He arrived they got to work immediately! If they hadn't expected Him to come, they wouldn't have been part of His restorative work in , they would have missed their opportunity to see about 3,000 peoples lives changed in one day. They would have missed out on the amazing community that was created in where people were giving of their own possessions to serve the needs of others, and they worshiped together, ate together, and saw people added to their community daily!

What we expect affects our actions. What do you expect? Do you expect God will care how we respond to His love and instructions? Do you expect that God can free you from personal struggles, or use you to transform the live of others around you? What are the consequences for how you live now? Is your greatest hope temporal or eternal?

Examples:

gym- Don’t workout just for looks, workout to be strong. Spiritual perspective. Don’t just go to church, read your bible to look good, focus on productivity, working towards results. Train for gains!

Don’t workout just for looks, workout to be strong. Spiritual perspective. Don’t just go to church, read your bible to look good, focus on productivity, working towards results. Train for gains!

Love Wins

The beauty is the result of the gospel, the promise, our hope is that love wins. Love won when Jesus gave His life for ours, love held Him to the cross until He breathed His last breath not the nails or our sin. Love caused Him to chase down His disciples after He came back to life three days later. Love brought His unbelieving brothers into the church family, and placed them in roles of leadership later, and even write parts of the New Testament. Love inspired and empowered many people to sacrifice their lives while preaching the gospel because they understood the mercy they had received and the purpose they had been given. Love can win in our lives to. Love can restore any person, relationship, or situation. How has love affected you? How will love change you? How will love change those you come in contact with?

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