Living for Christ: For the Sake of Others
New Series | 2 Corinthians 5:14–21
Speaker: Martin O’Brien
Following our journey through ‘Living the Transformed Life’, we began a new series looking at what this new life in Christ means for us.
Why have we been given this new life?
Why has God given us everything we need to live a godly life?
The answer is not simply so that we can become better people or enjoy the benefits of our relationship with God for ourselves.
We have been given new life so that we can live for Christ, for the sake of others, and share the good news of Jesus.
A New Life With a Purpose
In 2 Corinthians 5:14–21, Paul gives us a powerful picture of what it means to live this new life.
Because Christ died for us, we no longer live for ourselves. Instead, we live for Christ.
Paul describes the incredible transformation that takes place when someone belongs to Jesus:
“Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”
But Paul immediately connects this new life with a purpose.
God has reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and He has given us the task of reconciling others to Him.
We are Christ's ambassadors.
God is working through us.
Our new life is therefore not simply something we receive. It is something we are called to live out.
We live for Christ for the sake of others.
Christ Lives in Me
Paul expresses this same truth in Galatians 2:20:
“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”
The old has gone.
The new has come.
Our lives are now centred on Christ. We don't simply try to follow Jesus through our own strength; Christ lives in us through His Spirit.
This is a theme we can trace throughout Scripture.
God has always been calling His people into a life that depends upon Him, listens to Him and follows His ways.
Listen and You Will Find Life
In Deuteronomy 8, the Israelites are reminded of how God led them through the wilderness and provided manna for them. Through this experience, they learned an important truth:
“People do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”
Then, in Isaiah 55, we hear another invitation:
“Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life.”
Listening is an important part of our relationship with God.
Are our ears open to what God is saying?
Are we listening through Scripture?
Are we listening to the prompting of the Holy Spirit?
Are we prepared not simply to hear, but to listen and obey?
Isaiah's words point towards the life that is found when we listen to God.
Jesus echoes this truth in John 5:24, speaking about those who listen to His message and believe in the One who sent Him. They have passed from death into life.
The invitation is still there for us today:
Are we listening?
Life by the Power of God
John 20:30–31 reminds us why the Scriptures were written — so that we might believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing in Him we may have life by the power of His name.
This is more than simply having information about Jesus.
It is about believing in Him, giving our lives to Him and discovering the new life that comes through Him.
And we don't have to live this life in our own strength.
Romans 8 reminds us that the Spirit of God lives within those who belong to Christ.
The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in us.
That is an extraordinary truth.
The power of God is at work within us, enabling us to live the life God has called us to live.
We have been given what we need to live for Christ.
Living for Christ
Paul writes in Philippians 1:21:
“For to me, living means living for Christ.”
That is the foundation of this new life.
Our lives are no longer primarily about ourselves.
We live for Christ.
We listen to Christ.
We follow Christ.
We represent Christ.
And we love because Christ first loved us.
Love for the Sake of Others
This brings us back to one of the clearest signs that we are living this new life: love.
1 John 3 reminds us that we should love one another. It even describes our love for our brothers and sisters as evidence that we have passed from death to life.
Then John points us to the greatest example of love:
“We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us.”
Jesus didn't simply tell us what love looks like.
He demonstrated it.
He gave Himself for us.
And as people who have received His love, we are called to live that love out.
To love one another.
To serve one another.
To put others before ourselves.
To give ourselves for the sake of others.
Living in His Love and Living It Out
This new series builds naturally on everything we have been learning about the transformed life.
God has given us new life.
Christ lives in us.
The Holy Spirit empowers us.
God speaks through His Word and by His Spirit.
And we are called to respond.
We are not transformed simply for our own benefit.
We are transformed so that we can live for Christ and become a blessing to others.
As we live in His love, we live it out.
Our calling is beautifully simple:
We are living for God.
We are living for Christ.
We are living for the sake of others.
And as we do that, we become the people God has called us to be — people who carry His love, represent Jesus and share the good news of the new life we have found in Him.