Sunday Night Service

                                              Constrained or Restrained?

                                            2 Corinthians 5:10-21.

 

Turn in your bibles to 2 Corinthians 5 beginning with verse 10. We will continue through verse 21. The main point tonight is found in verse 14.

“For the love of Christ constraineth us: because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead.” The question tonight is; Are you constrained or restrained?

Before we get to the central part of this message, it is important to know what we mean by constrained and restrained.

Constrained: To be compelled by force, or to have a compelling force. To have a heavy, heart-felt burden for something or someone. It is accompanied by an overwhelming desire to do something about the situation.

 

Let me give you a great biblical example of a person being constrained. Jeremiah 20: 7-9. Here is a prophet of God that felt and said that his preaching had brought nothing but derision and mocking every day. He told the Lord he would make no mention of the Lord nor speak any more in His name. But listen to the rest of this verse: “But His word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forebearing and I could not stay.

The word for forebearing here means to hold or keep in.

 

His duty to the Lord God had become a fire in his heart shut up in his bones and he could not stop doing the preaching regardless of the results.

This means that he could not depart from giving the word of God.

God had made him a prophet and it was his duty to obey God. He could not depart from the truth that God had given him to tell his fellow man.

 

 It means that he could not delay in preaching. It had to be done immediately, without hesitancy. It was too important. It was too vital to wait. It did not depend on whether the people believed him, nor if they obeyed what he preached, or if they mocked him, he had a fire in his bones that constrained him to do it without delay.   

It also means that Jeremiah could not defer this responsibility on anyone else. It was given to him and he was the one to be obedient. The fire was in his bones, he was the one constrained and he couldn’t confer that on anyone else.

 

Restrained on the other hand means to be held back, ceased or desisted, prevented from doing something, going somewhere. It gives the idea of being shackled or bound.

Every person here tonight is in one place or the other, constrained or restrained. If you are not constrained then you are being restrained.

 

If you do not have that fire in your bones for the Lord perhaps you have resisted the Holy Spirit that is wanting to put that fire there. Or maybe you have quenched the Holy Spirit that lit the fire in your bones. Either way, you are grieving the Holy Spirit.

The message that I preached this morning ought to have you, by the love of Christ constrained you to do something about the message.

 

If the message left you with a spirit of indifference, then you are being restrained.

 

So, what should we be constrained to do? What should we have fire in our bones to do?  Well, let’s look at our text.

1. Our first constraining or compelling force should be the “love of Christ” (verse 14).

 Now does this mean His love for us should compel us? Or that our love for Him should compel us? It does not have to be one or the other, it is both. His love for us shown on the cross should be enough to compel us to serve Him in whatever capacity He calls us to.

 

This love shown on the cross is what bought you from the market place of sin. You have been bought with a price, the precious blood of Christ as of a Lamb without spot nor blemish. You are not your own. You are a servant of Jesus Christ. The only obligation of a servant is to obey the wishes of his or her master. You are a child of God. The only duty of a child is to obey his or her parents and grow up into adulthood. Many children of God are stunted in growth because they will not step out on faith and let the Lord do His work in their lives.

 

Every child is a product of his or her parents. They are the workmanship of their parents. They are the results of their parent’s upbringing. That is the problem today. We see rebelling parents against the Lord and children in rebellion against their parents.

We are the products of the new birth; our Father is God; we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works.

 

  Then our love for Him for what He has done for us should compel us to love Him and serve Him. We love Him because He first loved us.

 

Has your love for Him grown cold? Has it become lukewarm? Has it lost some of its ardor? What if your husband or wife or children had the same loss of love? Does this coldness or luke-warmness cause you to lose your constraint? It will, no doubt. Would you not seek to reclaim it? Don’t delay, rekindle that love. Remember what Jesus said to the church at Laodecia? They were lukewarm, satisfied, comfortable and did not want to be bothered.

 

Have you ever had that fire in your heart and bones that compelled you to serve Jesus? Where is it now? Has it been resisted or quenched? Let the Lord give you a renewed fire.

If you have lost that compelling or that constraining; If you have lost that fire in your bones then there is some reason you are being restrained.

                                                                                          

2. This love of Christ should cause us to not live after (for) the flesh, but live for Christ (verses 15-17 read).

What do we mean by the flesh, or flesh nature? It is simply that which we were before Jesus got a hold of us and saved us. It was the life we lived before salvation. It was our ungodly lusts, desires, ambitions, priorities and our sinful pride.

Here is a good look at the flesh nature and what it means in unsaved people. Galatians 5:19-21 reads:

“For the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness (unbridled lust) idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, (quarreling) emulations (jealousy), wrath, strife, seditions (divisions) heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, (rioting or riotous living, or wild partying),  and such like: of the which I tell you before ,as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

 

 If any of these things are prominent in your life, if see yourself practicing any of these things on a continual basis, you need to ask the Lord to rekindle the fire in your heart. It has grown cold.

We should be walking or living in the Spirit. We should be allowing the Holy Spirit control of our lives, not Satan, not in the flesh.

 

We are born again believers, we are therefore new creatures, not fashioned after the world, but after Christ. Romans 12:1-2 tells us this; I beseech you brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed (fashioned, pressed into the mold of), to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

 

You will never know what God’s will for your life is as long as you are allowing yourself to be pressed into the mold of the world. It will take a complete overhaul of your mindset.

You will never come to that point until you have made the decision that will make your bodies a living sacrifice to God. This means that you have offered up your life to Him to use in any way He chooses.  

 

 How can we live for Christ? Make Him preeminent in our lives. He should come first and foremost. He is not asking for our devotion at the expense of our devotion for our families or our other responsibilities. If we put Him first, all of these other things will fall into place. To not put Him first is to invite disaster into our lives. It would amount to idolatry.

 

3. The third thing that the love of Christ should compel us is that we know the terror of the Lord (verse 11 read).

We hear so much about God’s love, His mercy, and His grace and rightfully so, but not at the expense that we forget that God is a God of holiness, a God of righteousness and judgment.

We as Christians should know that the Lord God has judgment waiting for all of those that reject Jesus as Savior. Hebrews 10:31 says that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Also, we find in Hebrews 12:28-29 these words “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we many serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.”

 

The Lord God brought judgment on the world in the day of Noah; He brought judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah; He brought judgment on Korah and his band of people that rebelled against Moses which was under the headship of God.

 

He has promised judgment on this present world in 2 Peter 3:10-12 “ But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness?

 

And then of course there is the final judgment at the Great White Throne of Judgment. Revelation 20:11-15 says this to us: “And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth fled away; and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” 

 

Because we know that there is a literal hell waiting for those that reject Jesus, we need to have a fire in our bones to persuade men. We also know that when a Christian backslides there is chastisement. God is a holy God and He wants His children to be holy as well.

The bible also tells us that judgment must first begin at the house of God (1 Peter 4:17). It goes on to ask, And if it begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

 

For those that believe that God is only a God of love, ask those people before the flood if God is a God of terror. Ask those in Sodom and Gomorrah the same thing. Ask those standing at the Great White Throne of Judgment. Either they know or will know the terror of the Lord.

 

We as Christians should know all of this. It should constrain us, compel us, put a fire in our bones, to not depart from what God has commissioned us to do. It should cause us not to delay because the time is too short. It should cause us not to defer and give someone else to do it. It is the commission of the church, which is the body of Christ and you are a vital part of it. That is God’s number one plan, there is no plan B.

 

The problem with a lot of Christians today is that we have deferred the responsibility of soul winning on the pastor.

We feel inadequate to witness, we don’t know enough about the bible. Well, get busy and learn. Turn off the television; get up a little earlier and read your bible. Here is a thought, come to Sunday bible study time. Here is another thought, ask a soul-winner for scriptures. Go out soul-wining and learn how it is done. Soul wining should be a constraining force in our lives.

 

  The fourth thing that should be a constraining force is that He has given us the word of reconciliation (verse 19).

We have as a church been given the Great Commission as found in Matthew 28:19-20. This is the word of reconciliation. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself.

Ephesians 2:16 “And that He might reconcile both (Jew and Gentile) unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby.

The message of the cross is the reconciling word we have today to preach to the world.

 

Again, in Colossians 1:20 “And having made peace through the blood of His cross by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven.”

 

The cross, the blood of Jesus is what makes the atonement that the world needs so desperately to hear and so vital.

The Lord has given you and me, the church, that message. It was not given to the government, not to social agencies, not to civic organizations. It was and is the church, nothing or nobody else. This means not departing from the message; doing it without delay and without deferring it to someone else.

 

The Lord God did not put this dispensation of the Gospel in the hands and authority of angels.

The church is the body of Christ. That means we are His eyes, ears, hands, feet, and most important, His heart.

This word of reconciliation is given to the church, that is you and me.

 

There can be no excuse. You believe you have a good reason for not giving out the word of reconciliation? Don’t tell the pastor, tell the Lord and see what He thinks of your excuse.

 

There can be no exemption. You think there is a good reason that exempts you? Don’t tell your pastor, tell Jesus and see what He thinks of your reason for being exempt.

 

There can be no exit from the duty. You have become a part of the mission and there is no exit from it. You cannot rest, retire or resist. You are a life-long part of this ministry. 

Look again at verse 18. It says that He hath given us the ministry of reconciliation. He repeats it in verse 19.  

                  

Question; Who is us? Who in this auditorium is included? Who does it leave out? Us means all of us, no exceptions, no excuses and no exits.

 

The fifth thing that should constrain us is that we all will appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ (verses 9-10).

It is here that we all will have to give account of our stewardship.

All stewardship is personal. All husbands are stewards over their families. Your stewardship is to lead, love, protect, provide and give Spiritual nourishment to the whole family.

 

All wives are stewards of their submission to their husbands and to follow their leadership.

All children are to be in subjection to parents. They will be called into account of how well they obeyed not only their parents but all those in authority over them.

Supervisors are stewards over their employees and will have to give an account. All employees are to be in subjection to their employers, it is their stewardship. Pastors are stewards over the flock that Jesus has placed them. Stewardship also extends to public servants whether local, state, or Federal.

 

 Every Christian person will have to give an account of his or her works at the Judgment Seat of Christ, whether good or bad. This should be a constraining force. It should compel us. It should give us a heavy burden for lost people.

This will be part of what Jesus asks us; What was your motive for serving Me? Was it for Me or self?  What did you do with what I gave you? How did you use it? How did you spend it? Did you invest it in others or hide it in the ground? What did it cost you? Were you faithful in serving?

  Every person has been given at least one Spiritual gift, what have you done with yours? He will ask, and you will have to answer. Here is where we get our answer of what Jesus thinks of our excuses.

 

Be honest, do you really want to stand before the Lord Jesus empty handed? Do you think that if the Lord came today you would be glad or ashamed?

I don’t usually tell stories or anecdotes. But there is a story about a man that called his pastor to visit him on his death bed. He was weeping when the pastor arrived. The pastor asked him, Brother are you afraid to die? to which the man answered, I’m not afraid to die, I am ashamed to die.

1John 2:28 tells us this: “And now little children, abide in Him; that, when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. “  

It will be a shame to stand before the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ empty handed.

Nothing to be offered to Him but excuses. Nothing to be presented but a wasted life.

 

The sixth thing that should compel, constrain us is that we are ambassadors for Christ (verse 20).

We all know that an ambassador is one who speaks, acts and orders the affairs of his or her king, prime minister or president. He or she does not do those things for self. It is always to the good of the one he or she represents.

We are speaking in the behalf of our King Jesus. We do those things that He directs us to do. We order our affairs in accordance with the wishes or will of Him. It is all to be done or said to His benefit, not ours.

The ambassador should always get his or her pleasure from serving his or her leader. That is where the ambassadors of Christ should get their pleasure, from serving Christ.

This obligation should constrain us to be what the Lord expects of us. It should put a fire in our bones, it should compel us to act, speak and order our affairs after His wishes.

 

If an ambassador for a head of state is disappointed in the service in him or her in the service and representation, then he will call them back and send someone else. If we want to remain as ambassadors for Christ then we need to be careful of what we say on His behalf, what we do on His behalf. Otherwise, He may relieve us of our duty and give it to someone else.

 

Now for the restraining. Are you constrained or restrained?

What is holding you back? What has you shackled? What is it that has you bound up to keep you from being constrained, compelled, having this fire in your bones?

 

Whatever it may be, it always comes from one or more of three sources:

The world, the flesh or the satanic realm, the Devil.

 

Let’s start with where it started. The Serpent, the Devil, Satan. We want to be careful of giving the Devil too much credit. He is not omnipotent. He is not capable of doing any and all things. Yes, he has power but is still under the leash of Jehovah God. He was and is still a defeated enemy of Jesus, and the church.

He is not omnipresent. He cannot be everywhere at all times. So, this means that he cannot be the direct reason for all evil. Yes, he is the indirect reason for it all. When he tempted Eve in the garden of Eden, 90% of all his work was accomplished.

 

Which brings us to the second point or reason or source of why Christians are not concerned or not constrained to do what their Lord desires of them: The flesh.

 

When we were born, we inherited the same sin nature that was given by the Devil to Adam and Eve. We now have the innate desire to rebel against God.     

This is sin. This sinful nature is a result of the Devil and every sin or every departure from Him is indirectly attributed to Satan. He cannot directly control us but he can indirectly control us through the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life.

Perhaps it is a secret sin that restrains us. Maybe it is not wanting to give up a relationship that should not have happened in the first place.

We have been admonished to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us.”

 

The third thing that hinders the constraining or compelling of the Lord is the world.

This means the worlds values, systems, priorities, fashions, lusts, Its entertainment whether it is sports, television, movies, internet, and its pull or appeal to the flesh: it could be family, friends or anything else that gets in the way of serving the Lord.

What in this world, its values, its fashions, its priorities, has more influence in your life than the Lord, the church, the bible, witnessing, and prayer?  

 

These are restraints on your faith. They are restraints on your testimony. They are restraints on your fellowship with the Lord. They will shackle you, they will bind you, hold you captive and keep you from being the Christian the Lord wants you to be.

If you think that any of these things are more important than serving the Lord it is a restraint on you. You are being held captive, you are chained to the world and the flesh.

 

According to Christian Headline News it was reported that by 2050, 30 years from now, there will be 35 million youths raised in Christian homes that will leave Christianity.

We are seeing this begin to come true today. We can already see the youth falling away.

 

Eight years ago, Connie and I began a ministry to the teen girls and boys. She would have eight girls and sometimes more come for bible study. I had at least 6-7 boys, that is a total of 15 or more teens coming to bible study. There were at least that many coming to youth group.

Today most of them are out of church, out of contact with the Lord. They have departed the church for the ways of the world.

 

  We do not have until 2050 to get our act together. How many of us expect to be here in ten years and if we are, how much are we going to be able to do? On the other hand, these same 14-19 year-olds, that we need to reach and keep, will be 24-29 years old, well able to work for the Lord. Will they be here in church? We have to, it is imperative that we find ways to win and keep them involved in church, not just for fun and games. 

 

Many of us will not be here in thirty years, but what does that tell us? We need to get the constraint, the compulsion, the fire in our bones now.

If we don’t, that could mean 35 million young people going to hell. The Devil is working hard, even overtime in our world. He is using many tools to convince people that there is no God. He is convincing young people that there is nothing to the bible. He is working to sway young people as well as older people that church is a waste of time, that all they want is your money.

 

Every person that is saved has a responsibility to the next generation to keep the church doors open, to preach the gospel, to see souls added to the Lord. Every saved person can do something, every saved person must do something. 

We are running out of time.

The teacher asked little Johnny what the word apathy means and he replied, “I don’t know and I don’t care.” How true. I’m not trying to be funny. this is serious. That is the attitude of most people. It is more disturbing when we see it in people that claim the name of Christ.

 

I’m not trying to be a gloomy Gus, and I am not trying to be mean, I am trying to be realistic, I’m trying to warn you what will happen if we fail to get some fire in our bones. We need to be compelled to do something. We need to be constrained by the love of Christ.

 

We need to put off the sin that so easily besets us.

We need to wake up out of our stupor of the life of lukewarmness, we need to quit being pew sitters and be real church workers and not just church goers. We need to forsake our desire to please the world and make sure we are pleasing our Savior.

 

 Ask yourself, am I a pew sitter? If you come to hear a sermon on Sunday morning only, you could be a pew sitter. Are you using the Spiritual gift you were so graciously given for the work of the Lord? If not, you could be a pew sitter. Do you have a heart-felt concern for the lost? If not, then most likely you are a pew sitter. Do you request prayers for yourself or others but do not have the desire to come and pray with others at appointed times? Then most likely you are a pew sitter.   

                                                                                       

 Most people that are sitting in the pews and professing Christ as Savior do not know what is going on in the world nor care. They are like little Johnny, they don’t know and don’t care.

 

I get it that we have limitations whether physical, financial, or family responsibilities, but we all have something we can do, something we must do.

Anything that prohibits that, is something that restrains us.

 

The word of God, the Lord and the Holy Spirit has given us a challenge tonight, are we going to be constrained or restrained?

 

The altar is open. If the Holy Spirit has spoken to you tonight, if you have business with the Lord, the pianist will play a song of invitation, please come and talk to the Lord about it.