Fully to the Work of the Lord

 

Read 1 Corinthians 15

Let’s begin near the end of the chapter.

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

We like the words love fulfills the law, until we understand that this is more work than just rote obedience to the law. Jesus raised the bar. We go beyond the words to the intent of God’s heart.

Sin and Death are lifelong companions. Bad company corrupts good character, so we don’t want anything to do with these two characters—Sin and Death.

But there they are constantly taunting the believer to play the old game that we can never win. Instead of being bound by rules, we are charged to be unleashed by love.

This takes effort—more effort than rote obedience. There is nothing wrong with obedience. In fact, obedience is good. It is essential.

But we don’t obey for fear of going to hell. We obey out of love and sometimes that obedience takes many forms.

Most of the time it is not doing something at a specific time and place or building a stick hut in your backyard. Most of the time, we meet the demands of the law by loving our neighbor, lifting the chains of oppression for someone we probably don’t know, or just finding how to live in one accord and bring glory to God.

What’s all that mean?

To live by the law in order to achieve salvation is fruitless, even futile—only Jesus ever fully lived by the law. The hearts of the religious leaders of the day were so immersed in rote obedience to regulation that they never sought the divine heart of God that we receive through Jesus.

We have received right standing with God because the righteousness of Jesus has been imputed to us. That’s how we got here. Now, you get some familiar words from me.

How will we respond to this incredible gift?

Paul says give yourself fully to the work of the Lord. You don’t have to quit your job, but you are called to live for the Lord in your job or in school or in your retirement or…

 

How do I do that?

Love. Well, that’s a little broad, don’t you think?

Show mercy. We are supposed to love being merciful, but we want to show mercy like the pagans do—to those who reciprocate.

Forgive. Same as mercy. We like the pagan model. We don’t want to forgive those who should not be forgiven. Better take all of the mirrors out of our houses.

Help when you are able. We are better at this than other things.

Pray not only for yourself and your family, but also for those you don’t even like. I told you that this was tougher than rote compliance with the law.

Reconcile. I might forgive, a little, but I won’t forget and you can forget this whole reconciliation business. I’m down with the pagan model.

Share the good news of life in Christ Jesus. Not again.  Can’t you check this one off and move on.

Speak the truth in a spirit of love. Speaking the truth in a spirit of love, share the good news. No wimping out!

As much as is possible, get along with everyone.

Bring up your children in the way they should go. That’s not playing fair. I would have to do all of those other things to be a good example for my children.

Let the word of God judge the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. C’mon Tom, you are not playing fair.

Bring glory to God. There is a lot of latitude in that one.

Enjoy him very much while we do things in his name. You won’t hear that one much outside of those in the reformed tradition. I didn’t say enjoy life. I said enjoy God. As a collateral benefit, we get to enjoy our lives as well.

The church in Corinth was a mess, but they were saved from sin and death. We should take some consolation in the fact that whatever our mess is, God has seen it before and still loves us in spite of our mess.

It is in our messes where we often experience growth.

Forgiving something that doesn’t matter, doesn’t matter.

Now that we are free of sin and death, we are expected to forgive something that hurts a lot. We are forgiven.

Giving to the Lord when it’s from our leftovers is hardly what you would expect of a joyful giver who will not taste death.

Being at odds with another believer might seem justifiable to you, but it won’t stand up when we stand before the Lord.

Here’s the short and sweet of it.

Church, you are a mess, but you are saved from your sin and will be with God forever.

Respond appropriately to the magnitude of the gift that you have received.

Live for God.

Live in one accord with other believers.

Be known by your love.

While we would all like to live long and profitable lives in these bodies, we know that much more is waiting for us. Knowing this, live for the Lord with everything you are, have, and hope for in the days ahead.

These things that we do that we don’t want to do bring glory to God and distinguish us from the unbelieving world. They fall under the umbrella of love.

As it turns out, we are to be known as followers of Jesus by our love.

I don’t know about you—well, maybe I do—but I don’t want to blend in with the unbelieving world. I want to be known as a disciple of Jesus by my love.

That distinction is becoming more pronounced these days.

I want to bring glory to God’s name.

I want to live as what he made me to be—a victor. I want to live in the victory of Christ Jesus over sin and death.

Yes, I am a mess, but I am living in the victory of Christ Jesus.

Amen.