6 Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says,
“In a favorable time I listened to you,
and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” (2 Cor. 6)
Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. (2 Cor. 6)
Everyone think of your birthday. Now, how many of you chose to be born that day?
Your birthday had a big impact you. That’s an understatement. You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t born.
Just as that day has a big impact on you, though you didn’t choose it, so also there are other things you didn’t choose that have a big impact on you.
For example: you’re a sinner. You also sin, and that sometimes is a choice, but that you were born a sinner wasn’t your choice. Adam failed. Death entered the world and has spread to all men – to you and those you love.
All have been made sinners. You had the inclination to disobey and blame and rebel as soon as you were conceived before you did any actual sins. This inclination is actually sin as well and guilty of God’s wrath.
So everyone who is born of man and woman deserves condemnation – you deserved condemnation as soon as you were conceived and born.
This has a big impact on you day in and day out and you had as little to do with that as you did in helping your mom choose the day you were born.
But also, your sins have been forgiven. Jesus died for your sins. Jesus beat Satan – He’s your champion and holds the field victorious for you. “Be gone Satan.”
Jesus defeated death and gives life – His kingdom remains forever.
Jesus has justified you through His death. For our sake, God made Jesus to be sin, He who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. …in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them (2 Cor. 5:21, 19).
This has a big impact on you day in and day out and you had as little to do with that as you did in helping your mom choose the day you were born.
But today, now, is also day that also has a big impact now and forever.
Paul addresses the Corinthians and you:
6 Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain,
Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
God is gracious toward you. When? Now! Now is the time of God’s favor. Now is the day of salvation. That is true – whether you receive it or not.
So now, today and day in and day out, the devil, the world, and the flesh attack our reception of this grace. I’ll mention three attacks – apathy, ignorance of what sin is, and always taking the easy road.
With apathy: “Aren’t there more important things now? Like sleeping in, my new show, or avoiding that person I don’t like at church?”
“Who cares about God’s grace, now? Right now, my family is having a hard time, my work is draining me, and I am barely able to get out of bed in the morning these days. This life is tough, and I don’t always have to pray or hear God’s Word, now.”
Apathy – not caring about how our Lord gives us His grace and salvation to live in this tough life right now.
With ignorance of what sin is: “I know my sins are forgiven. Big surprise there! That just means I can keep gossiping, keep worrying, keep lusting, keep getting angry, keep neglecting prayer and God’s Word.”
But sin is a big deal, now! Adam’s sin is the reason there is hate, cancer, abuse, wars, death and more. “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test!” Who we are and what we think, do, and say as sinners, unintentionally or intentionally, is playing with fire.
Shall we continue in sin so that grace may abound? May it never be! God protect us from ignorance of what sin is.
The devil, the world, and the flesh also tempt us to take the easy road.
Jesus didn’t take it. He didn’t turn the stone to bread, but trusted God’s provision and Word. He would receive the Kingdoms of the world, every knee will bow, Thy Kingdom come, but only after fasting, temptation, and the cross.
Paul didn’t take it the easy road. Hear again
3 We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; 7 by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.
Right before Jesus was tempted, Jesus was baptized. So also living in your baptism is a life now under attack, a life of fighting against sin and the devil, day in and day out, with God’s grace and God’s Word.
It is at times a hard road of commending yourself to God by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love and the like.
It is only constant knowledge of this that leads the Christian to respond with this:
6 Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
With, “How could I? It is the most fantastic gift I have in this life!
“God says now is the favorable time? He is favorable to me? Me? God is on my side in my fight against sin, death, the world, and the devil – now?”
Yes! Behold, now is the favorable time;
“Now is the day of salvation? Salvation is given to me when I die? Me? And salvation is given to me now – knowing all my sin? Salvation? Now?”
Behold, now is the day of salvation.
Now, He intercedes for you. Now, He forgives you – present here to do. Now He gives you His body to eat and His blood to drink for the forgiveness of yours sins.
Now, as you are dying, He gives you life everlasting!
Now, as you have sorrow in this life, He gives you His joy that no one can take from you!
Now, as you have poverty of heart and so much weakness, He gives you the richness of His grace!
Now, as you have nothing with you that you can take to your grave, yet He gives you everything that will bring you through the grave to see Him face to face.
O God protect us from receiving that grace in vain, now and forevermore. Amen.