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.
. Lucy’s last words were, "Recognizing your faults and actually changing your ways are two different things, Charlie Brown!"
.Lucy didn’t understand the concept of repentance.
. The changing of who you are in your heart and becoming a new person in Christ Jesus is the first step in finding and knowing what God wants you to do.
. Our churches are full of people who look at salvation as a one way process. Once they accept this free gift of grace from God, everything is great. They can continue to live their lives the way they had before they met Jesus.
. Dietrich Bonheoffer calls this cheap grace.
. In his classic book The Cost Of Discipleship, Bonheoffer writes:
. “cheap grace” is “the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline. Communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ.”
. Paul writes to the church at Corinth and to us that when we accept God’s gift of salvation through the death of Jesus Christ for our sins, we become a new person, a new creation in Christ Jesus as some translations read.
. Are you a new person this morning?
. If you are not, you can be today.
. If you are, have I got great news for you. God has given you a job.
. No longer do you have to wonder and ask what God wants and expects from you.
. You have been given a ministry, a job within the kingdom of God.
. Everyone who has been saved has a job description for their life.
. Look at verses 18&19 with me:
. 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.
.We are given the job of reconciliation.
. From the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, He has given those who believe in him this job of reconciliation.
.In Mark 5: 1-20 we see the story of the demon possessed man of Gerasenes.
.Jesus and his disciples have just gotten to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. During the trip over the lake, Jesus had just commanded the wind and the waves to cease during the storm that had engulfed them.
. His disciples were in awe of what they had just seen. They were about to see something else amazing.
. As Jesus was getting out of the boat, a man who was possessed by an evil spirit came running out of a cemetery toward Jesus.
. This man was possessed by demons. You may have heard of him. His name was legion. He was named this because he had many demons inside of him.
. Legion was so possessed and the demons strengthened him so much that no one could restrain him. They would catch him and put him in chains but he would break theses chains and wander around the cemetery howling and cutting himself day and night.
. When he saw Jesus, he recognized him immediately. He ran up to him and even bowed down to Jesus, acknowledging who Jesus was.
. He asked Jesus why he was interfering with what he was doing. He begged Jesus not to torture him or send the many demons to a faraway place.
. Legion looked over on the hillside and saw a herd of pigs. He asked Jesus if they could leave the man and go into the pigs. Jesus allowed this and the demons went into the pigs. There were about 2000 pigs and they ran down the hill and went into a lake and drowned.
. That is a pretty well known story in the life of Jesus. As Paul Harvey would say, now the rest of the story.
.Look with me at Mark 5:18-20:
. As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him.
. But Jesus said “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.
. So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.
. The man had encountered Jesus and had been changed. He wanted to do no more than follow Jesus wherever he went; but Jesus said no, I have a job for you.
. I think that many Christians are like legion. We encounter Jesus and we want to spend the rest of our lives in his presence.
. We love going to church and fellowshipping with other Christians and learn to speak Christian speak and never leave the safety and security of being in the presence of Jesus.
. Jesus told the new convert that now that he had been saved, there was a job for him.
. Tell others what I did for you and how they can be reconciled to God through their belief in him.
. Paulis telling us the same thing. Our job is to tell others how to be reconciled to God.
. That is our job description.
. In verse 20, we are supposed to tell others to “come back to God”. We are supposed to plead with others to come back to God.
. Look at verses 20&21 with me:
. 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.
. People are reconciled to God by coming back to God through the sin offering that Jesus made for all men.
. we plead “come back to God” before it’s too late.
. That is our job, our responsibility.
. Verse 20 also gives us our job title.
. Look at verse 20 again:
. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God.
. Did you know that you were an ambassador? You are. It says so right here.
. You are speaking for Christ when you make this plea.
. When Jesus first sent Peter and the others out to heal the sick, He gave them the necessary power to do it (see Matt. 10:1). The Greek word for this power is exousia, which carries with it the meaning that the power is not inherent but delegated by a higher authority.
. It is similar to the power an ambassador has been given by the president. U.S. ambassadors, for example, would get nowhere in foreign countries by presenting themselves in their own names. Rather, they say, "I come in the name of the President of the United States."
. That is exactly why Peter said he had come, "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth."
. You see, an ambassador speaks for the one who sends him or her.
. We speak for Jesus when we cry out “come back to God”, be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ.
. Now my guess is that all ambassadors, no matter who they represent, have cards to identify them or who they represent.
. I have taken the opportunity to have cards printed up for each and every one of you this morning.
. When people look at these cards, they will know that you first and foremost represent Jesus and that you are also a representative of the Creek.
. As you leave the sanctuary this morning, I ask that you take some cards with you and carry them with you wherever you go.
. Our job is to be Ambassadors for Christ, crying out, “come back to God”, and be reconciled to him through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
. Are you a new creation this morning?
. Our scripture told us that if we belong to Christ, we are a new creation.
. If you are not, you can be this morning.
. Christian, perhaps you are like Legion. You have experienced Jesus but all you think you should do is follow him and be close to him.
. Jesus says there is more to it. Paul tells us that we have been given a ministry. All of us.
. The ministry of reconciliation.
. We do this as ambassadors of Jesus Christ, crying out.
. “Come back to God”
. Invitation
*** To my Christian brothers and sisters, thank you for taking the time to read this sermon. I ask that you take another second and score this for me. I am always open to feedback so that I can continue to grow in the proclamation of God’s word.
May God bless you as you continue to strive to walk worthy of His calling.
Sources: The Holy Bible, NLT
Illustrations from Sermon Central.com
