Ambassadors For Christ

Ambassadors for Christ

2 Corinthians 5: 17-21

Intro: A new year as we call it is upon us. Most of us make resolutions or promises to ourselves to be a better person in some way in this New Year. Many of our resolutions revolve around exercise don’t they? Either we want to lose weight or just get into better shape physically. As I was preparing this sermon, I found some exercises that maybe we should not participate in this next year.

. Maybe we should not:

. Jump on the bandwagon

. Wading through paperwork

. Running around in circles

. Pushing your luck

. Spinning your wheels

. Adding fuel to the fire

. Beating your head against the wall

. Climbing the walls

. Beating your own drum

. Dragging your heels

. Jumping to conclusions

. Grasping at straws

. Fishing for compliments

. Throwing your weight around

. Passing the buck

. We would probably do well to leave these exercises alone this coming year.

. The New Year is also a time of reflection and review. A time to look back and review things and maybe make some corrections.

. Many companies take the New Year and look at their employees and review their performance in the past year.

. Many times, job descriptions are reviewed and updated.

. We are in this process here at the church.

.We are reviewing some jobs and are preparing revisions in these job descriptions.

. As I read and studied our scripture this morning, I believe that God is laying out our job description for us in theses few passages of scripture.

. God gives us our job responsibility and He also gives us our job title in our scripture.

. I talk to many people who profess Christianity who are confused about what God wants them to do with their life.

. That seems to be a major stumbling block in many Christians lives.

. We get caught up trying to find our spiritual gift. How can we use the talents that God has given us.

. We take spiritual gift surveys and do worksheets in order to figure out what God wants us to do.

. What are we supposed to do.

. I am here to tell you this morning that God expects the same thing out of each and every one us.

. We may accomplish this in many different ways through our talents and gifts ;but we all have the same job description and title.

Lets look at our scripture. 2 Corinthians 5: 17-21

. This means that anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun.

. And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.

.For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting peoples sins against them. And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.

. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God”.

. For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

. The first thing we must do as we look at this job title and description is acknowledge that we have accepted the position.

. Look at verse 17 again:

. This means that anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun.

. Are you a new person? Has the old life of selfishness and sin gone.

. Several years ago the Peanuts comic strip had Lucy and Charlie Brown practicing football. Lucy would hold the ball for Charlie’s placekicking and then Charlie would kick the ball. But every time Lucy had ever held the ball for Charlie, he would approach the ball and kick with all his might. At the precise moment of the point of no return, Lucy would pick up the ball and Charlie would kick and his momentum unchecked by the ball, which was not there to kick, would cause him to fall flat on his back.

.This strip opened with Lucy holding the ball, but Charlie Brown would not kick the ball. Lucy begged him to kick the ball. But Charlie Brown said, "Every time I try to kick the ball you remove it and I fall on my back." They went back and forth for the longest time and finally Lucy broke down in tears and admitted, "Charlie Brown I have been so terrible to you over the years, picking up the football like I have. I have played so many cruel tricks on you, but I’ve seen the error of my ways! I’ve seen the hurt look in your eyes when I’ve deceived you. Please give me another chance?" Charlie Brown was moved by her display of grief and responded to her, "Of course, I’ll give you another chance." He stepped back as she held the ball, and he ran. At the last moment, Lucy picked up the ball and Charlie Brown fell flat on his back.