454: If Anyone... | Quigg Lawrence

Introduction

We are in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 17, page 966 in your pew Bible. But I need you to help the bishop out here. I want you to put on your thinking caps. I don’t know where that came from, but I’m pretty sure nobody under 60 has ever heard that phrase. When we were little in elementary school, they said “put on your thinking caps.” So I’m going to ask you a question, and I need you to dig way back in your memory and try to think of somebody that this applies to. Okay, here it is.

I want you to name a famous atheist, agnostic, or hedonist who converted to Christ. A famous, just a second, we’re getting there — famous atheist, agnostic, or hedonist who converted to Christ in such a, so shocking that it shocked his friends, but also maybe even shocked the world because they were famous or well-known. Okay, go. Raise your hand. C.S. Lewis. Keep going. Okay, now raise your hands. Chris Pratt. Yes. Get that halo happen. Stay prayed up, brother.

Okay, what else? Yeah. Which one? Yeah, Russell Brand. Wow. Okay, cool. Who else? Atheist, agnostic, hedonist. St. Augustine, right. A lot of the church fathers were pagans or in Islam or whatever, and then they had a radical conversion. Yes. Brian Welch of Korn. First service, we mentioned Brian Welch, everybody’s like, dude, go on. I am second and watch those videos, and there’s an awesome video of him. Some people said, well, you know, he’s not really walking with Jesus. No, he is. He said, I got addicted to drugs, and then I got addicted to religion, even with Jesus. And so now he’s trying to extricate himself from being hyper-religious, but holding on to Jesus is my understanding.

Anybody else? In the back, Bob Dylan. Dude, the greatest lyricist maybe ever. Amazing. You may come, Bob, you may come, Zimme, Bob Dylan. Radical conversion, about 1977. A lot of his fans got really torqued off, but some of them came to Jesus. Anybody else? Bon Jovi, not sure, but believer. Alice Cooper. Okay, so I saw Alice Cooper this week on video. He may be a new creation in Jesus, but his face ain’t. I mean, my boy’s looking rough, but you know what? He loves the Lord, like really loves the Lord.

Anyone else? Saul of Tarsus. Saul of Tarsus, right? Hated Christians. Trying to take them to their death, and yet he had an experience with the Lord. The Lord blinded him, knocked him down, and he says, who are you, Lord? He came to Christ. Do we miss any? I’ve got a couple. Nicky Cruz, for all you old-timers. Rosario Butterfield, if you know that name. Bob Marley. Bob Marley, like, he’s a Rastafarian. Rastafarians don’t believe in Jesus, and Bob used to sing the song. Marley used to sing the song. It’s like, I don’t need no white man’s God to come down from the sky to help me. Like, I’m good. I just want my doob. I’m great.

About a year before Bob Marley died of cancer, his wife Bonnie converted to Jesus. Rastafarians aren’t supposed to love Jesus, but she did. And then, six months before Bob Marley’s death, he bent his knee to the Lord Jesus. Now, the Rastafarians will not mention this. They’re embarrassed, and they just pretend it didn’t happen, but it did. You can go on YouTube right now, hopefully not right now, later, and you can find a video of the man, Orthodox Priest, who baptized Bob Marley, and he tells all about it. Bob Marley came to Jesus. He’s now jamming, y’all.

Lee Strobel, lawyer, agnostic, journalist, case for Christ, case for faith, amazing stuff. I’ll give you one more. Tom Terrence. Tom Terrence. Does that name ring a bell? Like all you smart homeschool and academic great books kind of people, you’ve heard of the C.S. Lewis Institute? Yeah, he ran it. But twenty years before, he was in the KKK. He hated anybody that didn’t fit his profile. And he was in on many attacks where people were wounded, even in attacks where people were murdered because of their color. He was a bad person.

Tom Terrence goes to jail, and while in jail, the Lord does something I would never do. I’d have flicked the dude to the netherworld. But the Lord basically came to him the same way he came to Saul, and he saved him. Tom Terrence gave up the goods on the Klan, and then he wrote a book called "Conversion of a Clansman." It’s out of print, but you can still find used copies. It is powerful.

The point being whether you’re Alice Cooper, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Bryan Welch from Korn, Nikki Cruz, Rosario Butterfield, Tom Terrence, Lee Strobel, C.S. Lewis, or an Anglican Bishop — or you. The Lord of the, the arm of the Lord is not too short to save. And I say this for you personally: if you don’t know Christ, but also I say that if you’re a believer and you’ve been praying for days, weeks, months, years, decades, and you think that person will never come to Christ. If Alice Cooper can come to Christ, they can come to Christ. If Tom Terrence, a prominent person he was, can come to Christ, soak in the one you’re praying for.

The Scripture and Its Significance

All right, so I want to go to the scripture. We’re just going to focus mainly on verse 17. Do we have the slides? This is the craziest thing, y’all. You have laptops. We do this in PowerPoint and it looks so big on the little screen. And then you get it on this screen. It’s like, “Honey, you’re drunk.” I shrunk the, the, the font. But anyway, there it is.

2 Corinthians 5:17
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come.

And all this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. And we’re just going to stop there.

So, you got the passage? If anyone is in Christ, he’s a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come. And all this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.

Breaking It Down

I want to break it down just a little bit. Let’s start with the word, if, if, if, if. I know that word from my childhood. Do you remember in like fourth or fifth grade? You had to learn a poem by Rudyard Kipling. I know like nothing about Rudyard Kipling other than he lived long ago and wrote a poem called, "If."

If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you. — Rudyard Kipling

The operative word was, "if." Now let me give you some others. You may have learned some little aphorisms. If at first you don’t succeed, my mother said try, try, try again. Okay. Well, that’s fine. If you want, if you want something done, right? It’s a great saying. It’s not a great strategy for ministry, is it?

And I love what sloop is like. Put his hand, his thumb on the pulse of like, we want to decentralize. We don’t want Sam Drucker here. We don’t want one person doing everything. And he’s real big on equipping the lady. And I say amen to that. Awesome.

How about this? If you can’t beat them, beat them. Join them. If you build it, if it ain’t broke, y’all are good. How about this? I heard this came from Winston Churchill, a colorful man that he is.

"If you’re going through hell..."

And that’s funny, but you guys, if you’re going through hell, keep going. Like, push through. Let the Lord walk you through.

If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything, right? Now, here’s the southern one. This is the last one. And we have children here. I didn’t know it was children’s Sunday, so now I am nervous because I don’t know how to say this in proper language.

"If a bullfrog had a tail, he wouldn’t bump his buttocks every time he hopped."

Y’all ever heard that one? So if, if, if, if, if — and these are awesome — but here the Lord through St. Paul in this passage from 2 Corinthians is bringing the happy good news of the gospel, but it’s actually only good news if you receive it.

To all who received him, to all who received him, he gave the right to become children of God. It’s a big if.

So I don’t want anybody to leave here this morning not knowing where they are. Wherever you are is where you are. And that’s awesome. We’ll, we’ll start there. But you got to know where you are. Are you, are you a believer or not? Are you a believer or not? Now, let’s keep going.

What, what might be some signs of, if you’re a believer or not? I, I, I immediately, I’m a Pharisee. I immediately go to outward things. Read your Bible, go to church, give generously, blah, blah, blah. But maybe those things are common for people who love Jesus. But one thing I would say is, have you learned how to love? And even maybe let’s go a little deeper in love. Have you learned how to forgive the way Christ has forgiven you? Is the fruit of the Spirit in your life?

Oh, I don’t mean all the, all the components of the fruit every day, perfect. But is there love in your life? Is there joy? Is there patience? Is, is there kindness? Lord Jesus, let’s have some kind Christians. Is there goodness? Is there faithfulness? Is there gentleness and self-control? Might have left one out, hope not.

But those things answer the if, like there are the signs, the visible and tangible signs of hopefully what is an inward reality. And so the big question here is not about bullfrogs hitting their buttocks or wise old sayings. But the big question for today is, are you a Christian? I don’t mean that judgmentally. I just mean, either you are or you’re not. You know, you’re either here or you’re here. Are you in Christ? Is this true of you?

It’d be worth asking the questions.

So, it’s interesting in a lot of surveys, it says 70% of Americans believe in heaven, right? A lot of them don’t believe in God or Jesus, but they believe in heaven. That’s weird. 70% of Americans believe in heaven and listen to this quote. This is awesome.

And it says, most of those that believe in heaven are very optimistic about their own afterlife prospects. It’s amazing how we grade on the curve and give ourselves the benefit of being on the right side of the curve.

The Word “Anyone”

Let’s go to the second word. So we did if, now let’s go. Next word. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he’s a new creation, the old has passed away, behold, the new has come, all this is from God.

Anyone, anyone, anyone. Scripture is clear from the beginning to the end — 66 books — it’s clear all the way through that plan A was always for God to provide salvation for his people, the Jews. And actually, if you read the New Testament, Jesus is hyper-focused on the Jews, Israel. He’s hyper-focused on them.

But as we read through Scripture, we keep seeing these whisperings that God always intended to save the pagan, the Gentile, the nations, the non-Jews, people like you, people like me. It’s all through there.

And the gospel is for everyone. You may say, hey, man, the person I want to come to Christ, there’s no way they’re ever coming to Christ. Brian Welsh did. Bob Dylan did. Justin Bieber did. A lot of atheists did. No one is beyond the long arm of the Lord.

And in the kingdom of God, we know they’re going to be men and women and boys and girls. They’re going to be brown people. Jesus was brown. They’re going to be black people. They’re going to be white people. They’re going to be Native American people. They’re going to be Asian people. They’re going to be nice people. And they’re going to be people that aren’t nice.

They’re going to be tea-totalers in the kingdom, and they’re going to be drunks in the kingdom. Because God’s going to pour his mercy on them, undeserved. They’re going to be symphony goers, and they’re going to be toothless banjo players from the mountains, all in the kingdom of God.

My wife told me not to say that. The gospel is offered and effective for people of every tongue, tribe, and nation. Every tongue, tribe, and nation. No center beyond the reach of the gospel.

Now, through Scripture, again, we see, both in the Old Testament, the sayings of Jesus, and the sayings of Paul, this is the heart of the Lord to save pagans, nations, and non-Jews. So let’s take a little trip.

In Isaiah 49, it says this. God speaking through Isaiah says:

I will make you as a light for the nations.
Not for Israel, but for the nations, the lost, the pagans.
I’m going to make you as a light for the nations that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

Could anything be more clear than that?

But it keeps on going. Joel 2 says this:

And it shall come to pass afterwards that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.
See, if I was God, I wouldn’t do that. He said, I don’t want to pour my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and daughters shall prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions. Even on your male and female servants, I’m going to pour out my Spirit.

And so we see in the Old Testament, God’s desire for the nations to pour out a Spirit on all flesh that even the servants would come to know Yahweh, the Lord God.

Next, we see it in the teachings of Jesus. Again, Jesus primarily focused on Israel. If you read the New Testament, you’ll see it. But in the mix, he gives foreshadowings, sings directly or indirectly. Can I get a look for him? Hinting that salvation is not just for the Jews, but God so loved the world.

Here’s the one, Matthew 8:

I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of God, from east and west.

They aren’t all Jews, friends. They’re pagans. They’re the nations. Many will come from east and west.

And if you have any doubt about it, Matthew 28, the Great Commission, verse 19, what does it say?

Go into all the world and make disciples.

What do you think’s in the world? Lost pagan dogs, non-Jews who are lost that Jesus says they too must come. And so we see it in the Old Testament, we see it in Jesus’ words. There are many more places we can look, but let’s look at the words of St. Paul. We’re seeing a common thread.

Romans 3:22 says this:

This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.

Do you believe that?

See, that one name I didn’t mention was Ted Bundy. He did terrible things. He’s probably the most despicable person. He and Jeffrey Dahmer are probably the most despicable people that have ever lived in my lifetime.

But what would we do with Ted Bundy? Crucifier. He deserves it. He’s a terrible person. Put him to death. You know what the Lord did with Ted Bundy? He saved him.

And you might go sarcastically like I did. Ha, ha, ha, jailhouse religion. It wasn’t. It wasn’t.

Do you know, I was actually in Florida, the week they put him to death. And he and James Dobson went on TV. All the proceeds from that show went to the families of the victims.

And Jeffrey Dahmer says, “You know, I am a new man in Christ.” And I have deep peace. He goes, “I don’t think that old man will ever come back, but we can’t risk it. I deserve to die. And I will die and go to be with my Lord.”

He wasn’t using religion as a crutch to get out of jail or to get out of the death penalty or any of that stuff. He had met the Lord and he grieved his sin.

God’s arm is not too short to save.

How about in Galatians? It says:

The scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and announce the gospel in advance to Abraham.
And it says, “All nations will be blessed through you.”

All nations — think about Iraq, Iran, Emirates, keep going, China, Russia, all nations. That’s the plan.

The Call to In Christ

Next word: "Therefore," if anyone is in Christ. Here, I may have just a break because we’re running out of time.

Here’s the thing: a lot of people in our day go, “Hey, man, I’m not really into organized religion.” You know what that is, man? That’s just like a quick way to pull a lever to shut you up. I ain’t into organized religion.

And I say, great. Come to Holy Spirit because we’re disorganized. We are.

And they’re like, “I’m spiritual.” Let me say this, being spiritual is a fool’s errand. God’s not impressed with being spiritual. What in the world is that? That’s nonsense.

Being spiritual? Again, it’s a lie. It’s a deception.

Jesus says, “Not everybody that says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will inherit the kingdom.” It’s only those who are in Christ.

The question for today is, are you in Christ?

See, I don’t make any assumptions. I don’t have a meter that can tell. I can’t tell where you are. I don’t know if you just have head knowledge of Jesus or you’re here because your wife loves Jesus and you’re just being nice to her. Or you have nothing else to do on Sunday morning, and we have food and bagels and coffee for free. I don’t know.

But here’s what I do know: the Lord doesn’t want you to be around the body of Christ. He wants you in it. I want you in it.

And so Paul is saying, you have to be in Christ.

Last one: the last one, I think. Therefore, if anyone’s in Christ, he’s a what?

Do you remember right after you met the Lord? For those of you who had dramatic turnings, do you remember those early days? I was walking on a spiritual cloud, y’all. I spent two hours a day reading my Bible. I was so happy. I was telling people about Jesus and I could care less what they thought.

And then after a while, you know, like a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool returns to his folly. You kind of lose some of your passion for Christ and pull back and become a good, solid, safe Christian.

And then what happens is, as you look at your life, you’re like, wait a minute. I thought St. Paul said the old is gone. The new has come. But a lot of the old, I mean, if it’s been crucified, it’s still kicking. A lot of those things that I used to do, I still want to do them. I do.

That’s because my flesh, while it may have been crucified, still has some power on this side of eternity.

Are you a new creation? Revelation 21 says, when the Father comes, he’s going to renew the earth. He’s not going to destroy our current earth, but he’s going to transform it and make it new.

And that’s what he did with Saul. He made him Paul. And that’s what he does for every believer: he makes you a new person.

And you may go, but what about the fact that I still sin, which is real? It’s not that you’re not a new creation. When Paul is saying, in Christ, you’re a new creation, what he’s saying is it’s not from your eyes, but from the Father’s eyes.

When he looks at you, it’s not that he can’t see all that stuff under the hood. He can see it.

But he chooses to see the robe of righteousness that Christ has given you. He sees his son’s beauty. He sees his son’s perfection. When he sees you, he sees the Lamb of God.

He’s not looking underneath that to find stuff. You’ve been covered with the blood. And that’s why the Lord says it doesn’t really matter about your feelings. And he goes, yes, I know there’s a process we’re being transformed into the image of Jesus, some faster than others.

But the way I see you is the same way I see my son.
In him, in Christ, you are beautiful.
In Christ, you are wholly without spot.
In Christ, you’ve been given the right to be his son or to be his daughter.

And there’s no condemnation in Christ, not because you’ve had behavior modification, but because Jesus has washed you and grafted you in.

The last line is this: he says, all of this is from God, all of it. There’s no room to boast. There’s no room to be haughty. There’s no room to be proud.

There is only room to bow down and worship. All of this — the fact that you are in Christ, a new creation, that he counts the old as gone, the new has come — is because of him, not you.

Friends, that is the happy news of the gospel.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.