 So let's begin reading here together in 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 at verse 11. I'll read verses 11 to 14 and then we'll get into our into our studies. 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 verses 11 through 14. Paul writes, knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are well-known to God, and I also trust are well-known in your consciences. For we do not commend ourselves again to you, but give you opportunity to boast on our behalf that you may have an answer for those who boast in appearance and not in heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it's for God. Or if we are of a sound mind, it's for you. For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus, that if one died for all, then all died. Now what an appropriate message for this season, as well as an appropriate message for our nation and for our world. We just celebrated Easter, a time that we celebrate Jesus' victory over the grave, and we preach a message. We preach the message that Jesus Christ laid down his life for people. We share how sin entered into the world through one man, sin entered into the world through Adam. When you look in the book of Romans in chapter 5 verse 12, Paul said it like this. Paul said, therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, in this way death came to all men because all sinned. So Paul, as he was quoting that, actually has taken the Genesis account of the fall of man literally. He didn't say sin originated with man. He said, sin entered in through men. Sin didn't originate in men, it actually originates with Satan. In 1 John 3 verse 8, John tells us that the devil sinned from the beginning, the devil sinned from the point of his rebellion. Satan is the originator and he's the initiator of sin. It is by sin, the sin of pride that Satan fell from his position as covering cherub. And as you read your Bible, you see that after he fell, he influenced other angels, and these other angels also rebelled against God. When you look in Revelation 12 verse 9, John wrote, the great dragon was cast out, that great dragon being Satan. That great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old called the devil and Satan who deceives the whole world. He was cast to the earth and his angels were cast out with him. So when Satan fell, Satan entered into the garden, the Garden of Eden. Even as he had fallen by pride, he tempted Eve through pride to disobey God. In Genesis 3, 4 through 6, it says, the serpent said to the woman, you will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened. You'll be like God, knowing good and evil. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, well she took of its fruit in eight. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Eve took of the forbidden fruit first, but the sin was charged against Adam. That's because he had been given the command directly by God. In Genesis 2, 16 and 17, it says, the Lord God commanded the man saying, of every tree of the garden you may freely eat. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat. For in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die. And so through his disobedience, sin made its entrance into the world. That's what Paul had said, sin entered into the world. But he didn't say sins. He said sin. That speaks of his nature. It speaks of his inherent propensity to unrighteousness. Adam, in other words, now had a fallen nature, a sin nature. And it's his nature that he passes on to his children. Romans 5, 12 again, death spread to all men because all sinned. His descendants received their physical properties from him as well as nature. And the nature when you study your Bible theologians have stated it like this, the nature is called Adamic. It's a sin nature. It's also spoken of as the old man or the fallen nature. In Psalm 51 verse 5, David said, behold, I was brought forth in iniquity and in sin my mother conceived me. And when Paul was writing to the Ephesians in chapter 2 verse 3, he said, we were by nature children of wrath. We are instinctively by nature children of wrath. Now remember, God had told him that in the day that he ate of the forbidden fruit he would surely die. So spiritually he was immediately cut off from God. Eventually he physically died. Some of the saddest words you're going to find in Scripture are found in the book of Genesis chapter 5 verse 5 because it says simply, so all the days that Adam lived were 930 years and he died. Some of the saddest words that you'll read in the Bible and he died. Incidentally this also answers the question concerning evil. Why does evil exist? And the answer in a most simple form would be it exists because choices were made to disobey God and evil is the result. Evil is the consequence of man's decision, not the design of God. And the Bible makes it very clear that man is sinful by nature. In Ecclesiastes 720 there is not a just man on earth who does good and doesn't sin. Romans 3 10, there's none righteous, no not one. Romans 3 23, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 6 23, the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. You see man is completely sinful, totally sinful. He doesn't do good. By nature he does evil and ultimately man is going to pay a price for that, the wages of sin. The wages of sin he receives is death and ultimately he pays a price through judgment. But God has done something about it because when it says in Romans 6 23 the wages of sin is death Paul went on to say but the free gift of God, the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. Even though we are sinners by nature, God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son. Even though we are sinners by nature God didn't leave us in that condition. Guys never forget that. He sent his son Christ to die on the cross for us. You see the soul that sineth shall die. And the Bible tells us in Hebrews 9 27 it's appointed unto men to die once and after this judgment. And so standing before God receiving judgment is something that every human being will do. Every human being stands before God. And Paul had been saying that look at verse 10 for a moment in chapter 5. He said we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that each one may receive the things done in the body according to what he has done whether good or bad. When he says we must all appear the word appear means to be openly and publicly revealed in the full and true reality of one's character. We're going to be completely manifest or open in a public way. And it's something that is seen in Hebrews 4 13 nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. So God sees it all and we are to appear before him. We will appear it'll be seen clearly. All humanity stands before the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember in the Gospel of John in chapter 5 verse 27. Jesus said that God had given him authority to execute judgment also because he's the son of man. In Acts 17 verse 31 later Paul said that God has appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man speaking of Jesus by the man whom he has ordained. And so man stands before God. Jesus is the judge and many will receive judgment for rejecting Jesus Christ and the Gospel of salvation. Jesus is the judge and the Gospel is the standard of judgment. In John 12 48 there is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words. Jesus said that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. And so rejecting Jesus' invitation to come to him has eternal consequences. There are people who have rejected him. There are people right now perhaps who are even watching online. And you've heard the message. You have friends who have invited you. They have shared and said you ought to come online, go to church with us and you're doing it right now. I keep receiving reports that that's taking place and for that I'm very grateful. You wouldn't go to a church service normally but here you are with us listening to the word. But you haven't given your heart to Christ yet. You haven't said God be merciful to me. I'm a sinner. I deserve judgment. There are many people who will listen but don't respond. But today's your opportunity. Today is your opportunity to open your heart to Christ and say God be merciful to me. I'm a sinner because he's giving you an invitation. He's speaking his word to you through the word of God, the Bible. And if you accept you can be born again. But if you reject there are consequences that are eternal. Now those of us who have been saved we've been saved by the grace of God through faith. But being saved by grace doesn't remove the responsibility of living right before God. If we are saved the way that we live reveals a new nature because it's referred to in Scripture as a new life. And we live a life that produces what are called good works. We don't do the good works to be saved. We do good works because we are saved. And James chapter 2 verse 26 says it like this. For as the body without the Spirit is dead so faith without works is dead also. So when we got saved our life was changed and we began to do works that God rewards. You see for believers appearing before the judgment seat is to receive a reward. Not judgment. For us as believers the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son has cleansed us of all of our sins and judgment is dealt with. In Romans 5.9 we have been justified by His blood. And Paul says how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through Him. In 1 John 1.9 if we confess our sin He is faithful and just forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And so we believers will stand before the Lord. And Paul had just spoken of that in verse 10. But we are not standing before Him to receive judgment. We receive eternal reward. This seat that he's speaking about is called the Bema seat. It was a place of rewards. It's a place where every work comes into judgment for a reward. Paul speaks of it in 1 Corinthians 3 verses 11 through 15 when he says no one can any foundation other than the one already laid which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood hay, or straw, his work will be shown for what it is because the day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives he will receive his reward. If it's burned up he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved but only as one escaping through the flames. Every time I read that scripture I remember cartoons that I used to watch as a kid. I always remember Wiley Coyote. I don't know how many of you guys remember Wiley Coyote. He was always going after the Road Runner and you'd see him sometimes. I forget what it was Ajax or something bombs. I forget what it is but he's always trying to blow up the Road Runner and then it would explode and you'd see him just standing there smoking and that's how some people are going to enter into the kingdom of God. They're going to be smoking. They may be able to go in but they're going to be smoking because their lives have not really produced the kind of fruit that God would have intended for them. And God does intend to give us reward in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 8. Paul said it like this. He said you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does. So you're going to receive a reward. And I pray that each one of us receive a reward that is great because the works that we did for him were great. You see the Christian loves God and the Christian loves other people. And the Christian lives a life of good works not to be saved because they are saved. Remember that love for God and others always provokes us to do good. In Titus 2.14 Paul said Jesus gave himself for us that he might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for himself his own special people listen zealous for good works. And it is these good works that result in receiving reward from God. Believers receive rewards but unbelievers eternal judgment. Romans 14.12 says each of us shall give account of himself to God. And that leads us to verse 11 because that is why Paul says knowing therefore the terror of the Lord we persuade men. When he says the terror the word terror speaks of a deep reverential awe of God an awe of God that is produced because we have seen that he is holy. It is the fear of the Lord that Paul knew well that drove him to persuade men. It is what causes a man to turn away from sin and turn to God. In Job 28 verse 28 we read to man he said behold the fear of the Lord that is wisdom and to depart from evil is understanding. In Proverbs 14.27 the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life to turn one away from the snares of death. So God by nature is holy man by nature is evil and because this is true judgment awaits evil man. So that should provoke us. It should provoke us to service to the Lord. It also should produce in us a deep seriousness of mind because you're either going to go to heaven you're going to go to hell. Those are the only two places. I was talking to my wife Marie earlier I think this morning and I was just remembering when our church had just begun we hadn't been meeting as a fellowship more than just a few months and we used to rent a place in in Ontario. A small church that's had 120 people our church at that time had about 45 to 50 maybe 60 people at the most. We had a small fellowship and and I gave a study after and after the study a guy walks up to me at that time I was I was probably I was 31 years old and a guy walks up to me after the study and he introduces himself to me and he says my name is so-and-so and I was the assistant pastor of a certain Calvary Chapel and so I shook his hand and I said it's nice to meet you and he says I enjoyed your Bible study and I said well that's nice good. He says but you're so serious and when he looked at me and said but you're so serious I still remember looking at him and kind of furrowing my eyebrows and saying the gospel is serious. I think sometimes when we go to church we're expecting to be entertained. Are you smiling if you tell somebody get out of the way that car is going to run you over is out of time to laugh and to joke. I think that when you bring the gospel and share the gospel of course during a study like this you know I think that a pastor's personality should be free and for me I have to be honest with you I'm used to a group of people that I can laugh with and it bothers me that I'm not able to kind of tease with the church bothers me a lot that I'm not able to do so even if I say something that I think is funny you guys just sit there quietly and it's like under even right now look at you and as I so it's awkward it's awkward for me but the bottom line is and I always remember this the gospel is very serious because it's talking about heaven and it's talking about hell church services and not entertainment services you know the pastor is not is not a clown who's there to to perform tricks for people who want to be entertained the gospel is serious because it's a message that speaks of heaven and it speaks of the penalty of rejecting the gospel which is hell that's a very serious message it isn't something to be playing with and it's certainly not the platform for somebody to allow their personality to shine to the eclipsing of the word of God and so it's very important and and and knowing that even though you enjoy laughing and I enjoy a good laugh and I enjoy joking and all of those things and certainly don't want to come off as if if I don't my wife will tell you that I love to tease her I love to mess around with her I I love to laugh with people why wouldn't we but at the same time and when you're talking about the Lord when you're giving a Bible study when you're speaking concerning the things that are eternal those things out of way heavily on you they ought to and those who are being spoken to ought to know there's a soberness and a seriousness about this message why because to receive Christ is to have life to reject him is to stand in judgment in Hebrews 12 29 the writer says our God is a consuming fire in Matthew 10 28 Jesus said do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell in Hebrews 10 31 it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God I had a guy I knew as a he was married to a friend of my wife Marie's and his wife used to come here when our church was a year old or less she would come to our church and she started bringing her husband whom Marie knew and one day after church he was an believer one day after a church service and he would come off and on one day after the church service he walked up to me and we're talking and I had gotten to know him by name and he looks at me and I'll never forget this as he with a straight face said this to me he said yeah I'm going to go to hell and I'll never forget that nonchalant kind of way he spoke he goes yeah I'm going to go to hell but that's okay all my friends are going to and we're going to party Jesus said no Jesus said if you're going to fear fear the one who cannot only kill you but judges you fear him so hell isn't a place of partying hell is the absence of God a place of torment that never ends and that's why we preach a message that is designed by God to draw people out of hell you see to serve the Lord faithfully and to encourage people's salvation is what draws us notice how he said again in verse 11 the terror of the Lord knowing it knowing the terror of the Lord we persuade men to reject Jesus is to accept eternal judgment and judgment isn't annihilation judgment is a constant state of torment it's an eternity of regret and this knowledge drove Paul to preach the gospel and he did it with integrity he did it with love he did it with a pure heart he said in verse 11 but we are well known to God and I also trust our well known in your consciences in other words God knows what we are and God knows how we have behaved ourselves and I trust that you have also seen our manner of life and know what I am saying to you is true verse 12 we do not commend ourselves again to you but give you opportunity to boast on our behalf that you may have an answer for those who boast in appearance and not in heart you see adversaries in the Corinthian church were probably going to twist his words once again and by twisting the things that he's saying would cause division within the church you see no matter what he said there would be someone who would question it no matter if he said it was black somebody would say it's white if he said it is sweet somebody's going to say it's sour if he says that I do this because I love you they will say no he does this because he wants to dominate you that's what's taking place and there were people who were undermining they would take his words twist them and then use them to cause division in the Old Testament book of Proverbs in chapter 26 verse 20 the writer said without wood a fire goes out without gossip a quarrel dies down they would stoke the fire they would increase the gossip but he was saying no I'm not doing anything and thus you know my heart you know my conscience and he's really asking them to be aware of this and to support him he says in verse 12 this is your opportunity to defend me to them so I don't have to defend myself you might want to mark that it's really it can be uncomfortable for ministers and I can speak on a personal level about this to have to defend myself not that I I won't if I have to but it's it's it's also it's a blessing to have people who have been in our fellowship for a while who've gotten to know us know our heart know our ministry know me so when someone says well he this or he that they can immediately say that's that's not him I'll never forget a young lady that had said she said that Maria and I lived in a and I'd never met her in my life by the way she was high school said oh pastor David and Marie live in a three-story house and some luxury and she was wrong we we live in a five-story house no no she said well that pastor over there in Chino Valley he's robbing the people and he's living in a three-story house things like that have been said so many times in various ways but this young lady said that and it was really a bummer to me that people were spreading that kind of garbage but it was a blessing because again this was a long time ago my son Joseph went to the prom and took this young lady and brought her to our house and she saw that it's just a regular track home and she in that that quieted her down we didn't have to defend ourselves she just came over for pictures with Joseph and she was able and later on Joseph told us that she said no they don't live in some big mansion they live in in a nice home in but not a three-story luxury mansion it's nice when you have people who think the best of you isn't it isn't it nice to have people who think that you have integrity who trust you and isn't it a waste of time sometimes to have to defend yourself to have to constantly say I didn't do that I didn't say that well Paul is saying that he said I trust that in your conscience as you know who we are and and and I would rather have you defend me than for me to have to defend myself in Proverbs 27 verse 2 it says let another man praise you not your own mouth a stranger not your own lips notice how he says in verse 12 to those he says who who glory in appearance and not in heart now some have an an outward appearance of godliness but inwardly they're not right with god like the ancient Pharisees they can have an outer appearance of holiness but in reality they hide their heart well in 1st Timothy 524 Paul said some men sins are clearly evident preceding them to judgment but those of some men follow later there are some people that you look at them and you know you know just why what they're doing at that moment and then this guy's sin is on the open he's not hiding any of it it's obvious whether you're standing in a street corner drinking or smoking dope or whatever his sin is obvious but there are others who dress their sins up nicely in suits sometimes even get behind pulpits and they preach they're hiding it well some men sins go before them they're obvious and others follow after them not so obvious but there's still sins nonetheless and people have a tendency of looking only at the outside and they can't see the heart man looks at the outer appearance but god looks at the heart we're told and Paul was genuine and what you saw in him was the grace of life in verse 13 he says if we are beside ourselves it's for God if we are of a sound mind it's for you and then notice for the love of Christ compels us because we judged us that if one died for all then all died now I mentioned that throughout this letter and I've said this from the beginning and for those of you who are joining us I'll share this with you now Paul had been dealing in second Corinthians with a number of accusations that had been lodged against him by false teachers who are infiltrating the church and lodging accusations charges and up to this point I've revealed to you I've shown you 12 different charges that he answers in this letter this is the 13th charge that he deals with and you know what the charge is and I want you to see this with me notice how he says if we are beside ourselves what is the charge that he's crazy that he's nuts that's the charge beside ourselves is another way of saying if we're crazy and their side he was nuts to some my passion makes them think I'm crazy but I can live with that you see this passion for Jesus drove him to preach throughout the known world don't you think guys don't you think that passion for Christ ought to drive you to share about him with people don't you think so I know that it does in many of you as I'm looking at you I know that it does I know that it does I'm blessed as I look out I know so many of you are doing so much for Jesus even right now I'm looking at you and I'm looking I see your ministries right in front of me because that's what should drive us right passion for Jesus Christ that's what you drive us let me share a couple things with you guys I got this yesterday and today let me just share with with you something you know this lockdown I'm calling it a lockdown we're unable to meet and to assemble it's driving me crazy it's gotten to the point where I'm saying how long Lord I miss my church I miss my fellowship I miss seeing people even the little stinkers I'm missing them too I do and I was reading today on on Facebook one of our young ladies posted one of the most open-hearted sweetest things I've read how she misses her church and she started listing all of these things and it just spoke to my heart she said things I miss the word with my pastor I miss my sweet Marie who kisses me on the cheek and she just went on and on and on it was very touching and this little girl was born and raised in this church she's she's not a baby I mean she's in the 30s you know and as I was reading that I was thinking that is the most heartfelt tender little thing that I've read in a long time I couldn't help but agree with her I miss getting together with our church I miss I miss laughing with our fellowship I I miss the opportunities of gathering in and I'm at that point where I'm asking the Lord what is it that we should be doing because our governor and I'm going to say it somebody's going to get mad God bless you we'll see you later someone's going to get mad about it but the bottom line is as our governor we need to pray for him because he doesn't have a love in his heart for Jesus Christ so he doesn't have a value for what you and I value fellowship in the word of God and the spirit of God and worship of God that's not his heart so we're non-essential churches gathering together non-essential it's okay for you to go to Costco and be bumping into people in Costco standing in line to get something in a supermarket that's okay but it's it's not okay it's not okay for you to come and fellowship in church here in here in California it really looks and I speak on with a certain amount of authority based on some information that I received that I out of respect for the one I asked I don't want to give their name but it really looks as if we're in a position now that we can very soon begin to meet again and I'm praying that we will but we need to pray for our governor and those in charge because sometimes when you start having power you start exercising in a way that doesn't take into consideration the things that need to be taken into consideration in the church for many people well that's a non-essential gathering it's more important to be able to go to a movie theater a drive-in but you can't go drive-in church see it doesn't make any sense but that said in spite of those kinds of restrictions we're still reaching people we are reaching and maybe more now but as of yesterday we are reaching 65 countries including Qatar Mexico is our number one foreign country viewer we're using various media platforms this week just this week we had 17 000 viewers on youtube alone we just went on Spotify we have in the last seven days on youtube it appears this is youtube 266 new subscribers we have various states like Indiana and Kansas Texas Arizona Colorado Florida Nevada New York and others that are listening since we started using youtube as one of our main streaming platforms on April 5th we have had 26 465 views since 2010 when our channel started we have had 1,378,000 views 522,789 of which came in in the last year the Lord is doing some things guys right now we're reaching people that we wouldn't have reached i i i got an email from somebody from uh the philippines just yesterday who said i listened to you on the philippine in the philippines you know the fact that we are also reaching into the united arab emirates you know in in countries that are closed to the gospel once again the word of god is not chained we're reaching people right now in spite of the enemy wanting to undermine the gospel he tried to close down easter they tried that 2000 years ago they put a a rock across a tomb and put a seal and put some guards and they couldn't keep jesus in there and they still can't the lord is still moving we're still getting people who are writing saying i gave my heart to jesus christ i want to be followed up listen i want to get back desperately but i see what god is doing right now and i'm blessed by that and paul was saying something of that effect you see this is a man who went throughout the whole world he said i determined to go and preach the name of christ where his name had yet to be preached that was his heart he went out to do the work and he said the world thinks i'm crazy for what i do but it's only because what i do has no value to them they see it as useless but he says on the other hand if i have a sound mind it is that i might instruct you more accurately well why do you do that paul what is it that that provoked you verse 14 the love of christ compels us because we judged us that if one died for all then all died since paul's conversion to faith in jesus his great compelling motive was the love of god and it wasn't a love that originated and ended in paul because he had been saved it was because that kind of love can be self-interested no he had a love that came from god and then this love internally motivated his love and his service to god he not only loved god from a thankful heart he also had a love that was given to him by jesus christ god's love for him came first he loved god because god first loved him you love god because he first loved you as a father raising four children there were times when might say something like you don't love me because i wasn't doing something for them that they wanted you don't love me and i've never they've never been able to say that to me ever i don't like you but i sure love you that's the point where people would ordinarily have laughed anyway there you go no i loved you i loved you when you and you were in your mama's womb i would put my mouth next to her little belly and i would yell at you when you were floating in the in the womb in that amniotic fluid and i'd put my mouth next to mama and i would yell baby i love you i didn't know you were a little girl little boy i just knew you were mine and when you claimed out of that womb when you were born and the doctor handed you to me before he even handed you to mom when he handed you to me and i turned and looked at my wife holding you we had that moment where i would bring the baby and and i would present our baby to mama i shouldn't tell you these things my heart starts going back to that moment and i gave you to mama and mama held you and together we held you and we loved you long before you even knew that you had a mama or a daddy long before i loved you first and then you loved me and god loved me first and then i loved him that's how it works we love him because he first loved us and paul said the love of christ compels me not my love alone for him no i'm a thankful sinner grateful for forgiveness no i love him because he first loved me and he put his love in me that i can now return to him for god his love love doesn't originate in man it originates in him and it's the love of christ that compelled him christ's love overwhelmed him he was like john the one whom jesus loved and when he thought of all he was and what he had done how he had persecuted the church to the point of death there's no sinner like a thankful sinner who's been forgiven and so he went out with the word and it constrained him it shot him in and put him in the position of living selflessly for the lord jesus christ so we don't work for him to make him love us we work in his name because he has loved us and he's speaking of this compelling love he had been a saved man and he wants others saved and so he speaks in this way in verse 14 the second portion he says if one died for all died all were spiritually dead all needed his sacrifice all needed the life-giving power of his spirit paul said to the Ephesians you he made alive who were dead in trespasses and sins and it says in verse 15 he died for all even for those who ultimately would reject him jesus died for the sin of the whole world in first Timothy 2 verse 4 it speaks of how god wants all men to be saved and to to come to the knowledge of the truth and as believers we've received jesus's offering of himself and we've been forgiven like paul said in Galatians 2 20 i've been crucified with christ and i no longer live but christ lives in me the life i live in the body i live by faith in the son of god who loved me and gave himself for me jesus died for us we don't belong to ourselves any longer he redeemed us he bought us we belong to him and in 1st Corinthians 6 20 paul said you were bought at a price therefore honor god with your body and in your spirit which are gods and that's how you serve the lord and that's why you love him we don't live for ourselves as he says in verse 15 but we live for him who died for for us and he rose again therefore verse 16 from now on we regard no one according to the flesh even though we have known christ according to the flesh yet now we know him no longer we don't know him that way any longer now when he speaks concerning these things the world uses outward appearance to make judgment but that's not so for believers we do not judge purely on outside standards he's saying i once judged jesus by fleshly standards i resisted him i even persecuted his followers now what's interesting and i'll close with this you might find this interesting i do he said again i'll read it verse 16 from now on we regard no one according to the flesh listen even though we have known christ according to the flesh yet now we know him that's no longer well one obviously using fleshly standards that's how he judged christ now that's an obvious thing the unspiritual man doesn't receive the things of the spirit of god so at one time i use earthly standards or earthly measurements once i knew him according to flesh but there are commentators they give some insight into this that may have even a more practical kind of in a physical way if you will i mean the spiritual is is is absolutely what we should should should aggressively believe but there is a practical and that is this when you look at the time of jesus and you look at the time of paul and you begin to think concerning the fact that they're contemporaries that paul and jesus were alive at the same time similar in age more than likely it's very possible that paul was aware of jesus well it is matter of fact it's probable was aware of jesus well jesus was doing his ministry that he jesus was in jerusalem a lot and so was paul and paul would have been acquainted everybody would have known what jesus was doing that the word had gone out he'd been doing what he had done for three years people have heard of him paul undoubtedly as a rabbi would have known who his enemy was he was a Pharisee of Pharisees and remember that the Pharisees had a hatred for christ why would paul not have known what his fellow Pharisees believed why would he have not known they're alive at the same time it isn't that paul was somewhere in asia somewhere somewhere in china or some other no he was there in the land he'd have been aware he was at least locally able to know these things and because much of jesus's ministry was in jerusalem during feasts paul could have been present also at the same time that christ was he was also a rabbinic student and he would study the law in the city of jerusalem that's where he would have been that's the center of learning he had to have known of jesus christ he spoke of himself in this way in acts 22 verse 3 he said i'm a jew born in tarsus of celicia but brought up in this city under gameliel i was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for god as any of you are today he would have known who jesus is he could very well have listened to him speak and there he is with his rabbinic mind and his hatred for this man to the degree that when the word started going out that jesus christ was resurrected he got permission to go and stop this insidious lie i once judged him according to the flesh but no longer isn't that interesting very probably true yes i use a worldly standard to judge him that's biblical theological solid practically he could have an expression of that i was aware of him heard of his ministry may have even seen his works or some of them i have my rabbi friends i rejected him completely i judged him by outer appearance as a natural man i rejected him but as a regenerated man i no longer use fleshly standards of judgment perhaps there are some who see jesus from fleshly standards of judgment oh he's a teacher he was a speaker he's a revolutionary an activist religious leader prophet healer miracle worker he's in a fleshly standard of judgment now he's here he is those things but he's more than those things he's god in the flesh and it takes the holy spirit to awaken you to that reality he's god in the flesh and if there are any right now who are listening to us who have not come to faith in christ and you are judging jesus by fleshly standards if you sense right now in your heart that what we just look through is true that jesus christ is the answer he is the messiah he is your savior and if you sense that i want to pray with you right now let's close our eyes and we're going to pray and if you know that jesus that jesus christ has spoken to you and you sense it right now if you've been judging him according to your own fleshly standards paul used to but paul had his eyes opened up and yours can be opened also all you need to do is say god forgive me i'm a sinner cleanse me lord i turn for my sin i hate it and i need you and you can be saved instantly and if you desire him let's pray together repeat after me in your heart father i know that i am a sinner jesus died on the cross to save sinners jesus died to save me forgive me of my sins cleanse me give me a new life i will follow you every day from this day forward in jesus name amen and if you can pray that with your heart then you can be saved right now i would only ask that you contact us so we can follow up so we can share with you please let us know what you just did contact us so that we can connect with you get you a bible and share with you a little bit more