2 Corinthians 5: 15,17 (NKJV) and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again…Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
All believers start by believing in Jesus Christ as the Lord and Saviour of our lives, but we must not stagnate as just believers, but develop into disciples of Christ. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we grow in spiritual maturity where we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and believe that everything we need in life will be provided for us.
Just like discovering a priceless treasure, once we understand the abundant grace of God, we will want to share the good news with others. We will also want to be equipped to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and grow to disciple others with the Word of God. As mature believers, we know that we are pilgrims and sojourners on earth. Therefore, we will invest in eternity where moth and rust cannot destroy, and respond by living intentionally for the Lord. Our relationship with God will no longer be based on what can God do for us, but on how we can make our lives count for the Lord.
What does “those who live should live no longer for themselves” mean? These are the questions we should ask ourselves: Do we seek the face of God regarding what He wants for our lives? Do we respond to the preaching and teaching of the Word? Do we live out the truth of God in our lives? Are we serving Him with the gifts and talents He gave us?
No longer living for ourselves means we will want to live out the new life in the new creation realities with what God has entrusted to us. It means taking the great commission of being entrusted with the word and ministry of reconciliation seriously, knowing that we are the ambassadors of God to speak for and make known His Kingdom on earth.
How do we live for Him? Our entire value system should change the moment we understand the truth from the Gospel. Our priorities are aligned with God and the teaching of His word. We know that life is temporal, and we can’t bring anything with us into eternity. On the other hand, we know that there are heavenly rewards, and we live for Him through a life of consecration—in holiness, and being set apart for God. Instead of wanting God to do things for us, we want to be effective disciples of Christ in the marketplace and the neighbourhood.
Sermon Series: God’s Compelling Love
为主而活
哥林多后书 5:15,17并且他替众人死，是叫那些活着的人不再为自己活，乃为替他们死而复活的主活…若有人在基督里，他就是新造的人; 旧事已过，都变成新的了。
所有信徒都是从相信并承认耶稣基督是我们生命的主也是我们依靠和救赎开始的，但我们不能仅仅停留在信徒的层面，而要发展成为基督的门徒。 作为耶稣基督的门徒，我们在灵性上不断成熟，首先寻求神的国和神的义，并相信我们生活中所需的一切祂都会为我们提供。
就像发现无价之宝一样，一旦我们明白了神丰富的恩典，我们就会想要与他人分享这个好消息。 我们还希望被装备来分享耶稣基督的福音，并不断成长，用神的话语对他人进行门徒训练。 作为成熟的信徒，我们知道我们是世上的客旅和寄居者。 因此，我们将投资于没有虫蛀和不会锈坏的永恒，并有意识地、刻意地为主而活。 我们与神的关系将不再基于神能为我们做什么，而是基于如何让我们的生命为主所用，为主而活。
“活着的人不应该再为自己而活”是什么意思？ 这些是我们应该问自己的问题：我们是否寻求神的面来了解祂对我们生活的要求？ 我们对神的话语的宣讲和教导有回应吗？ 我们在生活中活出了神的真理吗？ 我们是否用祂赐给我们的恩赐和才能来事奉祂？
不再为自己而活意味着我们想要在新造之人的现实中以神所托付的方式活出新的生命。 这意味着认真对待祂所托付的大使命，即传讲和好的话语和事工，知道我们是神的使者，在地上为祂的国度代言并宣扬祂的国度。
我们如何为祂而活？ 一旦我们了解福音的真理，我们的整个价值体系就应该改变。 我们的优先事项与神和祂话语的教导是一致的。 我们知道生命是短暂的，我们无法将任何东西带入永恒。 另一方面，我们知道有天上的奖赏，并且我们通过分别为圣的生活为祂而活—活在圣洁里，并将我们的生命分别为圣归给神。 我们不再关注让神为我们做事，而是想要在职场和邻里中成为基督精兵般的门徒。
讲章系列：上帝激励我们的爱
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