I was reading blogs this week trying to put together what happened. From what I read, it was in the regional playoff in High School soccer in NC, and was considered by the bloggers one of the most embarrassing events in HS sports. (Bloggers tend to exaggerate, by the way).
Apparently one team was trailing, and started playing way too rough. Cheap shots, shoves, punches, and the coach reportedly did nothing. The amazing thing is that the dirty play was seldom against the other team, but was used by one teammate towards another as some form of punishment for a previous disagreement. Although both boys were ejected from the game, rough play continued until the game was stopped by officials.
Someone wrote l about the incident, “Let me set the record straight about (the head coach and his assistant). These two guys have never had control over a team since I've known them. The players have always had a terrible attitude because those two worthless coaches let the kids run the team. I remember a few years ago a gang at the high school called the “88's” was started by soccer players….Sounds like the coaches take no responsibility and throw the players and parents under the bus. Just look at brothers past teams and nothing has changed through the years.”
Can you imagine a team turning on each other in an important game? Yet, this is the state of Christianity today, and the state of many Churches. Someone said, “Christianity is the only army that shoots its own wounded.”
God never called us to battle mankind. We do not struggle with flesh and blood but are supposed to be engaged in the spiritual warfare. A Church can easily appear a rescue ship in which the sailors are either fighting one another or bailing water to keep the vessel afloat.
In such a situation, we do God’s no favor, nor do we serve His purpose. Yet, God has supplied a wonderful path for reconciliation, with Himself, with each other, and to invite outsiders to be reconciled with God and with us.
2 Corinthians 5 discusses the reality of our heavenly citizenship, and our earthly assignment. Although our earthly tabernacles (bodies) can wear down, wear out and even be destroyed, the reality of our Heavenly existent is guaranteed with Christ’s Spirit in us. We are invited to view life in light of our heavenly eternal existence and accept the assignment of our temporary physical existence.
That heavenly perspective is what we are going to speak of today, and how it affects our earthly assignment. That eternal bliss of our heavenly existence begins with which perspective we approached our life here on earth. Do we get deceived by the appearance of life here on earth, or do we live successfully in this deceptive environment with our minds clearly focused on the truth of our eternal destiny?
I want us today to focus on using our rescue ship to seek reconciliation. We can celebrate the truth that God sent forth His Son to reconcile us to Him when we were once far off. We can celebrate that God has purchased our reconciliation towards one another through the unity of His Spirit within us. And we can celebrate that God has granted to us the ambassadorship to invite everyone in our ministry footprint to be reconciled, with God and with ourselves.
Let’s go through the scriptures and see how these verses give us direction as they piece these truths together. We will see that it comes from the heavenly perspective that we struggle to maintain.
2 Corinthians 5, verse 16 “From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.”
I. The Perspective is different. (When we see from a heavenly perspective, we see people differently.)
The world has a perspective on people and we are not supposed to adopt that perspective. The problem is, we were raised with the world’s perspective on people. We have learned to evaluate people abased upon their looks, or their family reputations, their previous contribution, etc. Sometimes we view people according to wealth, or talent, or social worth. However, this is not the heavenly perspective.
Israel serves as an illustration of the futility in the world’s perspective when they demanded a king. The people looked at the candidates like a horse buyer at an auction. They found what they thought was a thoroughbred, Saul.
1 Samuel 9:2 reveals, “And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.”
He looked the part, was chosen, but was an utter failure. When the Prophet Samuel went to reprimand Saul for another disobedience against God’s instructions, he revealed the heavenly perspective of God.
1 Samuel 16:7 “But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.’"
What a person looks like in the heart is not in any way reflected in how they look on the outside. Truly, it was biblical wisdom that people have summarized, “You can’t tell a book by its cover.” Paul told the Corinthians in this passage, “We have given up judging books by their covers.” He had become an expert in this.
You see, he was a contemporary of Jesus Christ. But he wasn’t one of his contemporary followers. As a matter of fact, his name, interestingly enough, was Saul at that time. And he was an enemy of Christ. What he is confessing here is that he sized Jesus up and found his physical appearance wanting. He didn’t look like a Messiah. He didn’t come from the right family, had no wealth, and even lacked the commanding presence to lead an insurrection against Rome. He didn’t even have the right followers; a motley crew of fishermen, tax collectors, and, well, losers.
Paul sized Jesus up and found Him of inferior quality to be God’s liberator. He just didn’t measure up in any way. As a matter of fact, Paul didn’t even like Jesus. He hated Him and His purpose.
But now, looking back, he said, “Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.” He admits now that his evaluation of Jesus was fleshly and absolutely wrong. Since he admitted mis-evaluating the Only Begotten Son of God, he would no longer view anyone that way. If he could be wrong about Jesus Christ, he was in no position to evaluate how Jesus Christ would choose to use any of God’s children.
You see, the heavenly perspective changes how we view people. But in what way?
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
II. The Person is Different (Christian view of every believer is a new creation, someone who is one with Christ Jesus.)
Many times, in our pride, we pretend we know more than God. When God looks at you, He sees His Son in you.That is your value. That is your identity. You are under the blood, and God sees you as white and pure as new snow.
However, when I look at you, I think I know better. I can see your faults, your weaknesses, your leadership skills or lack of them. I can make some pretty impressive judgments about you, and if God were as smart as me… (pause)?
However, what I can’t see is Christ in you. God can, I can’t. As a matter of fact, come to think of it, I cannot see Christ living in me. I bristle at the implications of that. Does that mean I may be lost and never received Christ? No, I have trust Christ, I promise you. I now walk by faith that He is in me.
So, I must admit there are three things that I cannot see, but must accept by faith.
• 1. That Christ lives in me.
• 2. That Christ lives in you.
• 3. What Christ can do in your life when you allow Him to live through you.
Since I cannot see that, I cannot judge your position, leadership, capability and purpose in the Church. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature, a new creation, new possibilities, new potential, a new reality. Oh, that we would begin trying to see each other in the new reality that Jesus forms in each of us.
2 Corinthians 5:18-20 “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
III. The Practice is Different. (A heavenly perspective give us a new task.)
Reconciliation: That’s a fancy word in theology, but doesn’t only apply to theology. When a husband has a moral failure and finds himself at war with his wife, we try to reconcile them. When a wife pulls away from her husband because of another man, we seek to reconcile the couple. This is how it is used; to make peace where there was a breach in peace.
Mankind stood alone, alienated from a Holy and righteous God. We needed a mediator. But it had to be the right mediator.
The mediator must understand both sides of the separation between God and man.
Galatians 4:4-5 “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”
So God sent forth His Son. Fully God, so He understood the demands of Holiness and Justice. The mediator must understand the viewpoint of the other party, mankind. “…born of woman…” fully man. Fully God, fully man. He is fully qualified to be our mediator.
This mediator, not only came with the understanding of both side, He paid the price for redemption. He met the Father’s demand for payment, an innocent man to take responsibility of the rest of our sins.
2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
So, our sins are not counted against us, because they were poured upon the Mediator. They were paid for by the life of the Mediator. So now, we who were far off have been brought near to the throne of God.
Ephesians 2:12-13 “…remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”
So, besides being forgiven, redeemed, reconciled with God, where does that leave us?
IV. The Permit is Different. (We are commissioned to be Ministers of Reconciliation.)
“…and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
Not a single one of us can received forgiveness without receiving this responsibility. We have been forgiven and eternal life has been granted to us, so we can represent God. To have the certification of God as His representative, He has put His Spirit in us.
Ephesians 1:13-14 “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”
2 Corinthians 5:5 “He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.”
We still live in our flesh, so we are still human. So we can identify with the lost. Therefore, we are perfect for the mission of reconciliation.
This Church must be a place of reconciliation, or our message will fall on deaf ears. When we grasp the mission of reconciliation, we exude reconciliation in every relationship.
There is an ancient door on display in St. Patrick’s cathedral in Dublin, Ireland. The rough hewn door has a rectangular hole hacked out in its center. It is called the “Door of Reconciliation,” and gives rise to the Irish expression of “chancing one’s arm.” In 1492, two prominent Irish families, the Ormonds and Kildares, were in the midst of a bitter feud. As the feud grew and turned into an all out fight, the Earl of Ormand was besieged by the Earl of Kildare. The Earl of Ormand and his family and followers took refuge in the chapter house of St. Patrick’s cathedral and bolted themselves in. However, as the siege wore on, the Earl of Kildare concluded the feuding was foolish. Here were two families worshiping the same God, in the same church, living in the same country, trying to kill each other. So Kildare called out to the Earl of Ormand and pledged that he would not seek revenge or indulge in villainy — he wanted the Ormands to come out and the feud to be over. But the Earl of Ormand was convinced that it was a scheme full of treachery and refused to come out of the cathedral. So Kildare grabbed his spear, chopped a hole in the door with it, and thrust his hand through. There was a tense moment until his hand was grasped by another hand inside the church. The door was opened and the two men embraced, thus ending the family feud. From Kildare’s noble gesture came the expression: “chancing one’s arm.”
