Introduction

Some of us walked in today with hearts humming like quiet engines, carrying the week on our backs—school runs, bills to pay, conversations we wish had gone better. Others of us came with hope rolling like a sunrise—news of a baby on the way, a victory over a habit, a fresh start at work. Wherever you’ve come from, you are welcome here. God knows your name, He knows your needs, and He is nearer than your next breath.

If we’re honest, we all long for a fresh start, the kind that isn’t fragile or fleeting. We want more than a quick tune-up; we want transformation that sticks when Monday morning hits. We want peace with God, peace with people, and peace within. We want to look in the mirror without fear, and look at the people around us without suspicion. We want to see with new eyes. That longing has a name in Scripture—reconciliation. The God who made you also mends you, and then He makes you a messenger of that mending in a world full of cracks.

John M. Perkins said, “Love is the final fight.” He’s right. In a culture of quick judgments and cold shoulders, love looks like listening, forgiving, and stepping toward one another when stepping away would be easier. Love looks like Jesus. And because of Jesus, love becomes our lane—how we see people, how we walk into rooms, and how we speak life into broken places.

What if God could change your lenses today? What if He could take the old script of guilt and grudges and write a new story of grace? What if you didn’t have to work for your worth anymore, because your worth was secured by Someone stronger than your shame? And what if you were sent—not scolded, not sidelined—sent with a message that heals hearts? That’s exactly what 2 Corinthians 5 tells us. It’s a passage for anyone who’s tired of trying and ready for trusting. It’s for people who want a new way to see everyone, including the person in the mirror.

Before we pray, let’s let God’s Word wash over us. Hear it. Hold it. Let it settle deep.

2 Corinthians 5:16-21 (KJV) 16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Opening Prayer: Father, thank You for seeing us as we are and loving us as we are. Thank You for Jesus—our peace, our righteousness, our reconciliation. Today, by Your Spirit, open our eyes to see people as You see them. Calm the noise within us, heal the wounds among us, and anchor our hearts in what Christ has finished for us. Make Your Word sharp and sweet—sharp enough to cut through our defenses and sweet enough to heal our deepest places. Form in us the confidence of Your righteousness and the compassion of Your heart. And send us out as faithful ambassadors who carry Your message with courage, kindness, and clarity. In the strong name of Jesus we pray, amen.

A New Creation Changes How We See Everyone

Paul says we do not regard people only by what we can see on the surface. That line carries weight. It speaks to habits we pick up without thinking. We sort. We grade. We keep mental files on people. The Spirit teaches a new way. A way shaped by the cross and the empty tomb.

Think about the folks in your world. The co-worker who drains you. The neighbor who nitpicks. The family member who never texts back. The old way stares at behavior and stops there. The new way asks, What might God be doing here?

“Know no man after the flesh” is the phrase. Flesh means what is natural to the eye and the ear. History. Appearance. Performance. When Jesus holds the center of our sight, those measures shrink. We begin to look at people like fields ready for seed and rain.

This change does not start with others. It starts with you. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature.” That is not a slogan. That is a miracle in your bones. God did something that cannot be undone. New desires rise. New power meets old patterns.

When you receive that newness, the mirror softens. Shame loses its grip. Pride loses its glare. You start to tell yourself the truth God tells. Old things pass. New things come. And the way you speak to yourself becomes the way you speak to others.

You stop treating people as fixed. You begin to treat them as in process. You look for signs of grace like a gardener looks for shoots. You practice patience because God is patient with you. You practice courage because God is near to you.

“All things are of God, who reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ.” That line explains the engine under this change. God moved toward us first. He closed the gap. He did the hard work none of us could do. Then He placed a trust in our hands.

“He has given to us the ministry of reconciliation.” That is not only for preachers. That sits in your work bag and your glove box. It walks into classrooms and kitchens. It shows up in hard talks and quiet prayers. It picks up the phone. It goes first.

This ministry is not vague. Paul calls it “the word of reconciliation.” A word can be spoken. A word can be heard. You carry words that mend. Words that confess. Words that bless. Words that show the way back to God through Christ.

“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ.” An ambassador represents a kingdom. So your tone matters. Your posture matters. Your timing matters. You stand in rooms as a sent one. You do not have to be loud. You do have to be clear. You ask God for wisdom, and He gives it.

“God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them.” Think about how God counts. He does not stack our sins against us once we are in Christ. He sets them aside because they were placed on Jesus. That changes how we handle the wrongs of others.

When someone fails you, you still name the harm. You also look for a path toward grace. You remember how God treated you. You leave vengeance to Him. You keep your heart open to mercy and to wise boundaries at the same time. You pray for clean motives and steady hands.

“For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin.” This is holy ground. Jesus stood in our place. He carried what crushed us. He gave us what we could never earn. He wrapped us in His clean record. So we stand before God in peace.

“That we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” Righteousness is a gift. It is your covering and your call. When you see a person in Christ, you see someone dressed in that gift. When you see a person far from Christ, you see someone God can dress in that gift. That sight fills your prayers with hope.

This is why the harsh label loses power. This is why cynicism thins out. This is why you can sit with hard stories and still expect grace to work. The gospel trains your eyes. It trains your ears. It trains your mouth to speak life.

So in the meeting, you listen longer. In the conflict, you speak with calm strength. In the hurt, you ask God to heal and to guide. In the ordinary, you look for small steps that build trust. You keep Christ’s work at the center of every choice.

You do this at home, on the clock, and on the street. With friends and with strangers. With the easy folks and the hard ones. The same Jesus meets you in every place. The same Spirit helps you in every moment.

This is not a trick of willpower. This is fruit of union with Christ. Old things pass. New things come. You live from what He has finished. And you treat every person as someone worth the message God has placed in your mouth.

Reconciled to God and Secured in His Righteousness

Paul moves to the heart of the change ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO