Brethren, let's turn in our Bibles
to 2 Corinthians 5. 2 Corinthians 5. Our subject is knowing after
flesh, knowing after spirit. Now, our text will be found here in
2 Corinthians 5 in verse 16. He says, Wherefore, henceforth
know we no man after the flesh. Yea, though we have known Christ
after the flesh, yet now, henceforth, know we him no more. And you could finish it out by
saying after the flesh. We don't know him after the flesh
now. Now, what does this after the
flesh mean? Well, after the flesh, knowing
me after the flesh, I am what the majority in this country
hates most. I am. I fit into that demographic
that the majority in this country hate most. Knowing me after the
flesh, I am a southern, rural raised, Christian, white, male. The only thing I lack is being
uneducated and I would be the most despised knowing me after
the flesh in this country. That's the most unpopular demographic
in this country. And when the majority despises
somebody because of a fleshly difference, it makes people feel
safe to despise them and make jokes about them. Because that's
why comedians pick the subjects they do because that's what the
majority is comfortable with. Now, you having grown up here
in New Jersey can enter into what I'm saying a little bit
because New Jerseyans are the punchline of a lot of jokes in
this country. So you get what I'm saying. Now, you know if you know me,
you know now that I don't have a lot of patience. when fleshly
distinctions are used to exalt one person or group at the expense
of another person or group. And the reason, the main reason,
especially for a believer, is this, verse 16. Wherefore, henceforth,
know we no man after the flesh. Yea, though we've known Christ
after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more after the
flesh. Those who are regenerated by
God, made new by God, are to use spiritual discernment. And we're no longer to use external
fleshly distinctions to put a difference between ourselves and our brethren
or between ourselves and anybody else. We're not to use external
fleshly differences. We're to judge spiritual discernment.
Paul spoke there in verse 12 about those who glory in appearance
but not in heart. Believers don't glory in appearance
anymore. We glory in heart. We use spiritual
discernment because we've been born of the Spirit. We know men
now after the Spirit. We use spiritual discernment
and we no longer know Christ after the flesh any longer either.
We know Him now after the spirit. Now what does that mean? First
of all, what does it mean that we know no man after the flesh? Now you see that word wherefore?
In verse 16, wherefore? That always tells us to look
to what was just said. And he said there in verse 12,
Paul spoke of them which glory in appearance and not in heart.
And then he said in verse 14, the love of Christ constraineth
us. The love Christ had for us constrains
us. That tells you he's talking about
those who've been regenerated because this constraints in the
heart, in the new heart that God has given. We're constrained
in the new heart. We've been born of God. We've
been given spiritual discernment. We're constrained in the heart
by the love of Christ toward us because we thus judge. That word is we discern. God's
given us true spiritual discernment now and so we thus use this spiritual
discernment. And here's what we know. That
if one died for all, if Christ died for all, then all were dead. and that
He died for all that they which live, those that have been born
again, should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto
Him which died for them and rose again. Now, because we've been
born of God, because we've been born of God, the Holy Spirit's
given us spiritual discernment so that we know and we believe
that all for whom Christ died We're dead. What does that mean? Well, we certainly were all dead
in sins. Everybody that Christ died for,
this is what's true of us. We were all dead, spiritually
dead in trespasses and in sins. Ephesians 2 says that we walked
according to the course of this world just like everybody else
in this world. There was no difference between
us and anybody else. We were dead, spiritually dead
sinners. That means we couldn't do one
thing to save ourselves. And that's true of all men. As
you come into this world, there's nothing you can do to save yourself.
You're spiritually dead. You don't know God. You know
Christ after the flesh. You know God after the flesh.
We'll get to that in a moment, what that means. But that's the
only way you know Him. You can't save yourself. But
when He came and He gave us this heart to believe, now we know
what He did. When He died, all for whom He
died, died in Him. Now get that, all for whom Christ
died, died in Him. I'll show you what it means.
I want you to look this up with me now. I went over this Sunday,
but let's look at it again. Romans 6. Romans 6. First of all, this is what happened.
Our old man of sin died. You and I, as we are naturally
born, as we come forth into this world, we were dead in sin. We
were guilty before God. And when Christ went to the cross,
He was representing all His people. And when He died, all His people
died in Him. Look at Romans 6, 6. It says
here, knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him,
that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we
should not serve sin. When Christ died, now get this,
everybody for whom He died, Our guilty old man of sin was crucified. Judgment was poured out by God
on our old man when judgment was poured out on Christ in our
place. And that old man was crucified.
He died. That was me dying on that cross.
Christ took my place. My old man died in Him. So now
that old man of sin is destroyed. Alright? Then go to Romans 7.
Because that's true, all for whom Christ died, died to the
law. Look at Romans 7 and verse 6. But now we are delivered from
the law. I'm sorry, verse 4. Wherefore, my brethren, you also
are become dead to the law by the body of Christ. That means
when Christ died. We became dead to the law, that
you should be married to another, even to him who is raised from
the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. So, first
of all, when Christ died, our old man of sin was crucified.
Judgment was poured out on us. And so, we died to the law. The law says this, God's law
says the soul that sinneth must die. So that means everybody here
is going to have to come under judgment. either in Christ or
in ourselves. Well, all who were in Christ,
when Christ died by God's grace, we died to the law in Him. The
law was satisfied. Justice was poured out as fully
as it could be poured out and the law says, I'm satisfied now.
I'm honored. That man died. And that's so
of all for whom Christ died. And so not only did we die to
the law, that means now, because Christ gave the law everything
the law demanded, All for whom He died, the law also died to
us. So we don't owe the law anything.
Look at Romans 7 verse 6. Now we are delivered from the
law, that being dead wherein we were held. That we should
serve in newness of spirit, not in the oldness of the letter.
We're not to try to go to the letter of the law and keep the
Ten Commandments. Everybody for whom Christ died,
has kept them. Because Christ kept them for
us. So our old man of sin was crucified. He was judged and he died and
that old man of sin was destroyed. Everybody Christ died for, that
happened. Christ accomplished that. Christ accomplished making
all for whom he died to be dead to the law. Justice was satisfied,
the law says, I want nothing else from them. And that means,
by Christ fulfilling the law for us, we owe the law nothing. The law is dead to us. So now,
he says back in our text, the spirits taught us that have been
born of God, that they which now live by His grace should
not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them
and rose again. You see that? Wherefore, henceforth
know we no man after the flesh. Now turn to Ephesians 2. Turn
to Ephesians 2 and I want you to listen carefully. This will
help you if you listen carefully. Well, what did the law have to
do with it? What did that nation Israel have
to do with all this and that fleshly circumcision that God
instituted? What did all that have to do?
What does that have to do with us? Well, God used Fleshly circumcision. He gave that to Abraham. He told
Abraham to be circumcised, to circumcise his sons when they
were eight days old. Fleshly circumcision. Circumcision
made with the hands of a man in the flesh. And God also gave
the law in the letter. And by doing that, God separated
a group of people from among all the people in this earth.
God separated a group of people by fleshly circumcision and by
the letter of the law and He said to this people, now your
name is Israel. How were they separated? God
gave them physical circumcision and He gave them the letter of
the law and He separated them out from everybody else. Well,
why did He do that? He never did that to save anybody
by that. And nobody has ever been saved
by trying to keep the letter of the law. You can't do it and
I can't do it. We came into this world guilty in Adam because
Adam failed. And we sinned in him and died
in him. So the reason God did that was to show that it's God
alone who separates out His people. by spiritual circumcision and
by Christ keeping the law so that He makes us His true spiritual
Israel, the true spiritual Jew. Every true believer is a spiritual
Jew. That's what we're called. I'm
going to show you that in Ephesians 2.11. He's talking here to Gentiles,
Gentile believers. He says, now, wherefore remember
that you, being in time past, Gentiles in the flesh. See, we're looking at knowing
no man after the flesh, not looking at the flesh to discern anything
anymore about anybody. He says, now you remember in
the time past you were Gentiles in the flesh. And you were called
uncircumcision by that which is called the circumcision in
the flesh made by hands. What does that mean? Well, judging
men after the flesh, all who were outside of the nation of
Israel. If you're just judging by the flesh, by looking at the
natural appearance of things, everybody outside of the nation
Israel were Gentiles. And all who were inside the nation
Israel were Jews. And judging after the flesh,
Israel was called the circumcision because they had that fleshly
external circumcision made with hands that God gave them. And
so the Jews who had this circumcision hated the Gentiles. Judging after the flesh, they
hated the Gentiles and called us the uncircumcision. Because
we didn't have that outward external fleshly mark. And they used that
to discern who was a Jew and who was not. And so they hated
us. They called us the uncircumcision. And the Jews exalted themselves
over Gentiles because of that fleshly difference of circumcision
made by their own hands. And they hated the Gentiles because
the Gentiles were uncircumcised. But God separated the Jews by
that fleshly circumcision and by the letter of the law to show
us how that it is God only that separates us. But He doesn't
do it with fleshly circumcision and He doesn't do it by you fulfilling
the letter of the law. He does it by Christ doing it.
Now let me show you that. Look here in Ephesians 2.13.
But now, in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off are
made near." You're brought near by the blood of Christ. For He
is our peace who hath made both. He's elect Jews and He's elect
Gentiles. He's made them one and He's broken
down that middle wall of partition that was between us. What was
dividing us? There's a middle wall right there
of partition. It's dividing this room from
that room. What was the middle wall of partition that was dividing
Jew and Gentile? It was the letter of the law.
Well, how did Christ break it down? Verse 15. Having abolished
in His flesh the enmity, Even the law of commandments contained
in ordinances. It means He came in the flesh
and fulfilled the law for His people. He fulfilled the law
for His people. And so He made in Himself of
two one new man, so making peace. and that he might reconcile both
Jew and Gentile unto God in one body by the cross, having slain
the enmity thereby." Why does he call it the enmity? Because
that law was the thing the Jews used to say, ìWeíre better than
you. Weíre keeping this letter, this
law, and youíre not, and weíre better than you, so we hate you.î
But see, Christ came. And that was called circumcision
which is not made with hands. He put off the filth of our old
man of sin by going to the cross and being judged of God in the
place of His people. So He circumcised us spiritually
at the cross when He justified His people from our sins. But
not only that, then through the Holy Spirit He circumcised us
in the heart when He made a new heart within us. Look at verse
17. Our resurrected head, Christ
Jesus, He came and He preached, Peace to you elect Gentiles,
that's who He's talking about, which were far off, and to those
elect Jews that were near. For through Him we both have
access by one Spirit, the God the Holy Spirit, unto the Father. You see what he said? He came
and preached the gospel to us and through the gospel He circumcised
us in the heart. So He did it at the cross when
He put off our old man of sin and He did it when He circumcised
us in the heart. What's the result of that work
now? Now, therefore, you're no more strangers and foreigners,
but fellow citizens with the Jews. No, fellow citizens with
the saints and of the household of God. There's not Jew and Gentile.
We're just saints saved by Christ. Christ did it all. Christ did
it all. Now, turn to Colossians 2. I'm
going to show you this in another place. And I want you to hear
me now. Listen to me. True Jews. True
Jews, true elect Israel, true Israel are made by the circumcision,
not made with hands. You and I don't do it by our
hands. We are made by Christ, by God working in Christ. to make us this. Now first, He
circumcised us from our filthy flesh by fulfilling the law for
us and making our old men of sin to be crucified so that He
died when we died. Now look at Colossians 2.11.
In Christ. Let's begin with Colossians 2.10.
He says, You are complete in Christ. You know what complete
is, don't you? Nothing's got to be added. That's
true of every believer in Christ. You're complete in Christ. Now
watch this, verse 11, "...in whom also you're circumcised
with the circumcision made without hands in putting off the body
of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ." That's
what He did at the cross. At the cross we were buried with
Him in baptism. When He was baptized, immersed
in the just judgment of God on the cross, our old man of sin
was crucified. We were baptized on that cross
in judgment, in Christ, wherein also you are risen with Him through
the faith of the operation of God who raised Him from the dead. Paul said in our text, when Christ
died, we all died in Him, and when Christ arose, we all arose
in Him. Now look at this, and then Christ circumcises our filthy
flesh by giving us a new heart. Verse 13, Colossians 2 verse
13, And you, being dead in your sins, and the uncircumcision
of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven
you all trespasses, blotting out the handwriting of ordinances,
that was against us, that means the law, taking it which was
contrary to us. We couldn't fulfill it. He took
it out of the way and nailed it to His cross. You see that? Can you get to Romans? Hold your
place there in Colossians 2. Can you get to Romans 2 real
quick? I want you to see this. I don't want you to take my word
for this. Now you got to see this. Romans 2. Romans 2. Now look here, Romans
2, in verse 28. He says, For He is not a Jew which is
one outwardly, neither is that circumcision which is outward
in the flesh. Oh, you mean that didn't make
a true Jew? To be circumcised in the flesh
did not make a true Jew? No. God didn't give it for that
purpose. God gave it to show He alone
is the one that does it. Look, but he is a Jew which is
one inwardly. Circumcision is that of the heart,
in the spirit, and not in the letter. Who gets the praise for
this? It's not of men, but of God.
God gets all the glory. So go back now to Colossians
3. Now Paul said this in our text, he said, The love of Christ
constrains us because we have this discernment. If Christ died
for all, then we are all dead. And now that He lives, we should
live unto Him and not to ourselves. And He says, Wherefore henceforth
know we no man after the flesh. Now look at Colossians 3.10.
By this work of grace that is done in a sinner, God makes you
to put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge. after the
image of God that created Him. You see that? He creates a new
nature in you, making you a partaker of His nature, of His image by
this circumcision done in the heart. Now what does that make
you and me do when He's done this work? Verse 11, And in that
new heart there is neither Greek nor Jew. There's no more Gentiles
and Jews. We don't know any man after the
flesh anymore. We don't say, well, I'm a Jew
and you're a Gentile, that makes me better. We don't judge any
man after any fleshly thing. Nor is it circumcision nor uncircumcision. It doesn't matter if you think
you've kept the law or if you know indeed that you've never
kept the law. Look at this. Not barbarians, not an uneducated
man, nor a Scythian who is a refined educated man, nor born nor free. There were some in that time
that were free born and some were born slaves. That doesn't
make a difference. But in the new man now, Christ
is all to us and He's in all His people. You get that? Now
that's what He's talking about. In our text, He says, wherefore? Because He's done this work.
Henceforth, we know man after the flesh. We're not discerning
anything about a man, about who is God's and who is not God's
by looking at the flesh. We're not doing that. We use
spiritual discernment. Now, let's understand how this
applies to us who are born of God right here where we live.
How does this apply to us? We recognize that there are indeed
fleshly differences between men. You know, it don't take folks
long to listen to me preaching on a tape or in person here to
know I am from the South. That's the first question I get
when I open my mouth around here is where are you from? We do
recognize there are differences between men, but none of those
differences puts any sinner in favor with God. Nothing about
you and I in our flesh makes God favor us. Nothing. You know
what grace is? Grace is God's free undeserved
favor. toward whoever God chooses to
show it to. That's what grace is. So nothing about us made the
difference. Romans 9 says, there was two
boys named Jacob and Esau. They were in their mother's womb
at the same time, born of the same father. And before they
were yet born, having done neither good nor evil, that the purpose
of God according to election might stand, God said, the elder
shall serve the younger. Because Jacob have I loved, but
Esau have I hated. And he said, he knew what men
would say. Men would say, that's not fair. He said, is there therefore
then unrighteousness with God? Is God unrighteous to do with
His own what He will? God forbid. So then, it's not
of him that willeth, it's not of him that runneth, it is of
God that shows mercy. That's salvation. Well, I don't
like that. You won't be saved. You're not
saved if you don't like that. But the man that loves it is
the man that God's made to realize all I can do is bow. Because
if He don't show me grace, if He don't save me, I can't save
myself. I can do nothing to save myself. You know why men don't like that?
They think they deserve to be saved. It's not that they want
to be saved. It's not that they want God to
show them favor. It's not that they want to have
anything to do with God. A man that has never come to
a gospel preaching church and heard the gospel preached a day
in his life will walk in and say, I don't think that's fair.
Well, who are you and who cares? You've never even been here before. The only reason you would say
that is because you think you deserve something. Here's where
we've got to be brought. We've got to be brought to see
we deserve nothing from God. God don't owe you anything. He
don't owe me anything. He's God. He can do with His
own what He will. Don't you do with your own stuff
whatever you will? If you, whatever belongs to you,
you and I do with it what we will. And if our neighbor comes
across there and says, well, I don't think it's fair that
you're doing that that way. You look at him and say, well,
who are you? And what does it matter what you think? It's mine.
I'm going to do with it what I will. That's God and all of
creation, all people. So we don't put any distinction
on what we've done. We don't make a distinction based
on fleshly differences such as face, place, race or grace. And by grace I mean I'm a Baptist
and I'm not like a Methodist. Or I'm a Methodist and I'm not
a Baptist. That don't matter. It's our proud, self-righteous,
sinful flesh that boasts that I'm better over somebody else
because of some fleshly difference in me or in you. That's pride. And God hates it. The Scripture
says, These six things does the Lord hate, yea, seven are an
abomination unto Him. And the first one is this, a
proud look. So when we start thinking about
You know, the North being better than the South, or I start taking
the South is better than the North, or the East is better
than the West, or the West is better than the East. Just know,
that ain't nothing but selfish, sinful, fleshly pride is all
that is. And God hates it. It's self-righteousness. Nor do we boast that we've kept
the commandment and somebody else broke it. And we're terrible
about this. You know, you see somebody on
the news that did something or you hear of something and you
think, I would not have done that. That's what the Jews were thinking.
They were exalting themselves over the Gentiles saying, we
have this law and we've kept this law. And Paul spent about
four or five chapters in Romans telling them, you ain't ever
kept the law. There's none righteous, no not
one. And here's what we do when we
boast that we've kept the law and somebody else has broken
it. Here's what we do. And I mean by this, I mean like
if you see somebody that's fallen in sin and you look down your
nose at them because they've fallen in sin, that's to say,
I've kept that and you didn't. Well, maybe that particular thing
you have externally, but you haven't in the heart. And Paul
said this, Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, who serveth
thou art that judges. For wherein thou judgest another,
thou condemnest thyself. Just know that. Anytime I start
talking and criticizing somebody else, you know, about how they
did this or that, and I think they ought to have done it this
other way and not done it that way, and I wouldn't have done
this and that and the other thing, you know, you know what I'm doing?
I'm condemning myself. Why? For thou that judges doest
the same thing. Have you ever found that out
sometime when you think, you know, I wouldn't have done that
or whatever and it's not any time at all and you find yourself
doing the exact same thing? And aren't you so much easier
on yourself than you was on them? In Christ Jesus neither circumcision
avails anything nor uncircumcision but faith in Christ which works
simply by the constraint of Christ's love. That's all. That's all
that matters. In Christ Jesus neither circumcision
avails anything nor uncircumcision but having been made a new creation
by God. So by the Spirit of God we discern.
Now how do I know who a true believer is and who's not? Because
we do have to judge. We do have to make some spiritual
discernment or you'll be carried away with the wicked. Go to Philippians
3. How do we know who are true brethren
and who are not? There's one way you know that.
By who glories in Christ and who glories in their flesh. That's
the only way you know. That's the only discernment.
That's spiritual discernment. Philippians 3, 2. Paul says,
beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. Man, who is that? That's folks,
that's evil workers who preach law and who preach morality. You go and you hear a sermon
about how you ought to treat your mama better and you probably
ought to treat your mama better. You go and hear a sermon about,
you know, how you can walk the rest of the week and honor God
and, you know, and you ought to do all that stuff. But then
they also condemn those that don't do it. up to their measure
of how it ought to be done. And so they make a concision. They cut them out because they
don't measure up. Because they're judging after
the flesh. So Paul said, Beware of them, verse 3, for we are
the circumcision. We're the true Jew. Now watch
these three things, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice
in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. You get that? That's just the option. What
are the evil workers doing? They're worshipping God in the
flesh. God's people are worshipping God in the Spirit. They are rejoicing
in themselves, what they did and didn't do. God's people rejoice
in Christ. They are putting confidence in
the flesh. Those that are born of God have no confidence in
the flesh. I'm talking about my flesh. I
don't have any confidence in my flesh. I don't have any confidence
in what I do or don't do making me come into God's presence and
be accepted of God. That's not what's going to do
it. Christ alone is. And the only way I know this
and rejoice in this is by the Spirit of God putting a new spirit
in me. See that? So we worship God in the Spirit,
rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. They
came to Christ one time and there was all these people sitting
there being taught of Him and hearing of Him in spirit and
in truth. And his mom and dad, his mother and some of his brethren,
according to the flesh, came up outside. And they said, your
mother and your brethren want to talk to you. And Christ used
spiritual discernment and He said this, Who is my mother and
who are my brethren? They were really after the flesh. He was born of Mary and those
that were out there wanting to see Him were natural relatives
of His according to the flesh. But watch this, he uses spiritual
discernment. He says, Who are they? And he
stretched forth his hands toward his disciples, sitting there
hearing the gospel, his gospel. And he said, Behold, my mother
and my brethren, for whosoever shall do the will of my Father
which is in heaven, that is, believe on Christ and follow
Him, worship God in spirit, rejoice in Christ and have no confidence
in the flesh. That's the will of God the Father in heaven.
And he says, Whosoever does the will of God my Father in heaven,
the same is my brother, my sister, and my mother. So we are to do
nothing for one another in partiality based on the flesh. Listen to
this from 1 Timothy 5.21. I charge thee before God and
the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe
these things without preferring one before another. doing nothing by partiality. See, to do that is to judge after
the flesh. What does he mean by that? Listen
to James. He gives us an illustration.
He said, My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Lord of glory, with respect of persons? For if there come
into your assembly a man with goodly apparel, and there comes
in also a poor man in vile, dirty clothes, And you have respect
to him that weareth the nice clothing, and say unto him, Sit
thou here in a good place. And you say to the poor, You
stand over there, or you sit here under my footstool. Are
you not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil
thoughts? Another way you can say that
is you become judges after the flesh. So we don't show any partiality
based on external things. God's people want to put forth
our best in everything we wear and do and say and whatever.
But we're not going to judge anybody by that, one way or the
other. Now secondly, let me get to this
and I'll be a little more brief. What does it mean when it says,
Yea, though we've known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth
know we Him no more after the flesh. What does that mean? Well
some of the early apostles, well all the early apostles except
Paul, And a lot of the early believers, they actually knew
Christ when He walked this earth in the flesh. They knew Him after
the flesh. And then there were some others
who boasted that Christ was of the Jewish nation. And He was,
according to the flesh. He came through the line of the
tribe of Judah, the tribe of David. And they could say, naturally
speaking, He's our kinfolk. And they thought by that, that
gave them an extra leg up with God. And then there were some,
now listen to this, and this applies to you and me today,
there's many that boast in knowing historical and doctrinal facts
about Christ. True things. But they know those
about Christ and they taught themselves those things. either under the preaching of
the gospel or usually apart from the preaching of the gospel.
And that's to know Him after the flesh. That's not salvation.
You see, I know a lot of true historical facts about George
Washington. I read a lot of things in books
about George Washington and I've taught myself and been taught
by others a lot of historical true facts about George Washington.
George Washington has never introduced himself to me and made me to
know him in person. So I only know him after the
flesh. But those born of God, we can
say yet now henceforth know we him no more after the flesh.
We know him in spirit now. Why? Because God has given us
spiritual discernment to know Christ and to believe Christ.
The Holy Spirit's come through the preaching of this Word and
Christ has come into our heart and He's introduced Himself to
us so that we know Him in person now. We know the person Christ
Jesus. We know by divine revelation,
He's given us a spiritual understanding of who He is and we know Christ
Himself and we believe on Him. He's shed the love of God abroad
in our hearts so that our gospel is not just a, well, I have to
go to church now. You know you don't have to go
see somebody that you love. You don't. This young man back
here that's dating this pretty girl right here, I bet you, you
don't have to say, I bet he don't go, well, I'm going to have to
go over to her house. I bet he wants to go every chance he can
get if he loves her. And that's true. You don't have
to, we come here because we know him and we love him and we want
to hear him. We want to hear more of Him.
He has given you love in your heart to know Him. And you have
His spiritual presence with you all the time. And you know Him. John said, we know that we are
of God. Everything that we know is of
God. And everything we are is of God. We didn't do any of it. It's all of God. We know we are
of God. And this is what we also know.
The whole world lies in wickedness. And we know this, we would be
still lying in wickedness if it wouldn't have been for God,
regardless of anything about you and me, but God simply showed
free favor, free and sovereign grace to us. And that's all that
made the difference. Or we'd still be just like the
rest of the world in wickedness. And it says, and we know that
the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding. that we may know Him that is
true. And we're in Him that is true. Even in His Son Jesus Christ,
this is true God and eternal life. The Scripture says the
hope of glory is Christ in you. What that means is if you're
going to have a hope, a true living hope inside of you, being
assured that you will come into God's presence and be accepted
and live with Him forever in eternal glory, Assured of that
fact. If you're going to have that,
it's by Christ being in you. That's how you're going to have
it. And that's what every believer has. We have an unction from
the Holy One and we know all things. What does that mean?
We know and we believe and we publicly confess before men that
Christ is God in human flesh. We know and we believe and we're
not ashamed to profess publicly before all men that Christ Jesus
came and fulfilled all the law for us, crucified our old man,
fulfilled the law, made us dead to the law and made the law dead
to us. We don't have a problem confessing that before anybody.
We know that Christ Jesus the Lord has come and that He's done
all this for us and now He's risen and He's the head of His
body, the church, and He's the one that fills all in all. We
know that He's the one who filled our presence with the sound of
the gospel whereby He called us by His grace. He filled our
hearts with the knowledge of Him. And He keeps to this day
filling us more and more and more and more with the knowledge
of Him. He does that. Christ does that. And He is going
to continue to keep us. Christ does that. And He is not
going to lose one. We know this because Christ has
come and introduced Himself to us and made us know Him personally.
And we know Christ is coming again. And that He shall make
us like Him and we will be with Him forever. And we know and
we believe and we confess publicly before all that Christ is our
all and in all. Well, didn't you do something?
Didn't you contribute something? Nothing. Zero. Nada. Nothing. I sinned and I died
and He did the saving. That's it. That's it. That's salvation. Now, let me
ask this question. I want you to ask this about
yourself and I'll ask it about myself. I'm not going to ask
it about you. I want you to ask it about me. You ask this about
yourself and I'll ask it about myself. How do I know myself? Do I yet know myself after the
flesh? Am I trying to exalt myself over
others based on fleshly things that I've done, or fleshly things
they've done, or trying to say that I'm measuring myself by
somebody else, by how much better I am than them? Am I going to
a law, the letter of the law, and trying to use it as a measuring
stick to see how good I am? That's to know myself after the
flesh. Or do I know myself in spirit
now? Do I know that there's no difference
between me and any other sinner? I'm a fallen, depraved, helpless
worm that needs God to do all the saving. Do I know that about
myself? If I do, I know myself after the Spirit, because the
Spirit of God taught me that. Do I know that I am what I am
by the grace of God alone? And how do I know Christ? Do
I know Christ after the flesh as a historical figure? Or do
I know Christ in spirit and in truth according to God's divine
revelation, according to His own Word? How do I know Christ?
Do I know Christ as God, as my prophet, priest, and king, as
my lamb, as my redeemer, as my intercessor, as my wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption? Do I know Christ as my all? Are
all my eggs in this one basket? Am I trusting Christ only to
save me? How do I know Christ? For those
that are born of God and taught of the Spirit of God, every true
believer can say this. Now go back to our text, 2 Corinthians
5 and let's read verse 14. I'm going to make this personal.
The love of Christ constraineth me because I thus judge. I've been given this discernment
that if Christ died for me, then I'm dead. I was dead in my flesh
and now my flesh is dead. I'm dead to the law and the law
is dead to me. I'm dead. and that He died for me, that
I, which live by Him regenerating me and giving me life, I live
now and I should not henceforth live unto myself, but unto Him
which died for me and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know I no
man after the flesh, not myself and not anybody else. Yea, though
I have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know
I Him no more after the flesh. Now I know Him in spirit and
truth by His grace alone through faith alone. Now that's what
I need to ask myself. Do I know myself? And do I know
Christ? How do I know myself? How do
I know Christ? See, that's the difference between
knowing after the flesh and knowing after the Spirit. Amen.