Let's talk about New Beginnings and especially the new beginning in our life born again, saved by the Grace of God. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
Now we see that we are a new creation. We might be called by the same name, we might get up on go to the same job, we might where the same clothes, but we are a new creation. Our outward appearance might be the same, but on the inside we are a new creation.
This is more that a simple change in character or a change in desire or a change in purpose. We are a new creation! We have died with Christ and therefore are no longer living for ourselves, but instead are living for the one who died for us and who was raised again.
We might live at the same address, but we are a new creation and our citizenship has changed. Paul said to the Christians in Philippi - “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”
Notice from this a few things: 1. We are citizens of heaven and 2. the Lord Jesus Christ has a power that enables Him to bring EVERYTHING under His control. We should remember the following sentence: If God said it, I believe it, that settles it. Listen to that again .. If God said it, I believe it, that settles it.
Our citizenship is in Heaven, if we’ve accepted Christ. If we’ve accepted the death of Christ as payment for our sin. God said through Paul that your citizenship is in heaven and if God said it, I believe it, and that settles it.
Paul was drawing a distinction between those who live as citizens of the world and those, through Christ, who have gained citizenship in heaven. The citizens of the world live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach - meaning they live to satisfy their appetites, whatever those might be, they respond to their appetites, they are driven by their appetites, they are compelled by their appetites, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. … But our citizenship is in heaven, we are instead compelled by the love of Christ.
We no longer live in the world, we are no longer controlled by the world, looking to satisfy the appetites of the flesh. Paul said it this way in 2 Corinthians 5 - “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.”
The Christian has died with Christ so that we can become new with Him in His resurrection. Paul said to the Christians at Ephesus - “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins … excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise.” and when we accept Christ we we are resurrected with Him and become foreigners in the world having gained citizenship in heaven.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors.
Billy Graham asked the question, “What is an ambassador?” He answered his question by saying, "an ambassador is a person, a friend of authority. Ambassadors are servants of their government in a foreign land. They are not free to set their own policies or develop their own message. In the same way, we are called to live under the authority of Jesus Christ and the authority of the Scriptures. We are servants. We must live under the authority of the Word of God. We are called not to do our will, but Christ’s."
Paul said it this way, “Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. … [so that] those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.”
We are Christ’s ambassadors, compelled by the love of Christ, to bring Christ’s message to the land in which we live as foreigners, representatives of Christ Himself. We are appointed by Christ, operating ... nah ... living under that authority of the Word of God.
And this is a big difference. You see ambassadors are not part-time jobs. In fact, there are not even full-time jobs. They are 24 hour per day appointments. The actions and words and deeds of the ambassador reflect upon the one giving them authority no matter when it is they are acting. We are ambassadors of Christ LIVING under the authority of the Word of God. Is that how your life is governed?
In Leviticus it tells us, “Be ye holy as I am holy.” We are to live in ways that demonstrate to those around us that we have submitted to the authority of the Word of God, or our representation of that authority will lack integrity and become ineffective. We must no longer live for ourselves, but instead for Him who died so that we might live.
Paul says to the Philippians - “Join together in following my example …. keep your eyes on those who live as we do. For … many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven.”
We are to live a disciplined, devotional life. One separated from the sins of lying and hatred and anger and greed and lust and fear. Those who live in this way have as their destiny, destruction, but our citizenship is in heaven. And as ambassadors we are not only called to spread the message of reconciliation, but to give those around us an example of that very same message.
Its true that only God can change hearts, its true that only the Holy Spirit can convict sinners of their sin, but we must realize that as ambassadors for Christ was are God’s instruments to effect His purpose. We are not alone and our interactions with those around us effect the reputation and the purpose of the one who called us.
Its true that our justification is personal and individual. It is through a personal relationship with Christ as our savior that we are saved, but our sanctification is corporate and our interactions as Ambassadors are subject to the authority of the Word of God. He has committed to us the message of reconciliation and is making His appeal through us so that others may be reconciled to God as well.
Do you wonder why He chose us to represent Him as ambassadors? Why not the angels? He chose those who have died with Christ because we can share in the struggles of the world. We can share in the challenges of temptation. We can share in the trials of a sinful nature.
If the angels were to preach the gospel of Christ, we might marvel at their oration, but one could argue the ever present, oft used rebuttal - Yea but! Yea but … you, mighty angel, do not understand the influence of the world. Yea but … you, might angel, do not understand the pressures of a job. Yea but …. you don’t understand the pain of temptation.
He chose you because you have something to share to the lost. He chose you because you have something to give to the unsaved. He chose you because you can be empathetic. You can say … I understand … I too used to be dead in my transgressions and sins but I have recognized the one who died so that I might live! I have realized that I have died to sin and now I can show you how to live for Christ! I implore you, on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God!
We are Christ’s ambassadors and we must therefore LIVE under the authority of His Word. But we also must carry HIS message. Paul said, “All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.”
This is our mission in the foreign land … the ministry of reconciliation. We, therefore, need to understand what a ministry is, since this is was we have been given. Ministry comes from the Greek word “diakoneo” which means “to serve” or, more to the point, “douleuo” which means “to serve as a slave.”
We used to be slaves to sin, but Paul says in Romans - “For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin … You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.”
So God has given us the mission to serve as slaves to righteousness which comes from reconciliation to God through Christ. Serving Him who has the power to bring everything under His control. You know you are who and what and where God needs you as His ambassador. Who else will bring the ministry of reconciliation to your neighbor or co-worker or sister or brother or the person cutting your hair or serving your food? God has called you to be His ambassador and has put you exactly where He needs you to carry out your mission delivering the message of reconciliation.
Paul tells the Corinthians - “When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” He said he couldn’t address them as spiritual but as worldly, mere infants in Christ. They weren’t ready for God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. They weren’t ready and were still not ready.
His message, and ours, was not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that their faith might rest on God’s power rather than man’s wisdom. Our message is that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
So we are operating under the authority of the Word of God with the message of reconciliation as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. Why?
Because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and the wages of sin is death. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. If we confess with our mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved. We will be reconciled to God. We will be convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And it is this love that compels us, as ambassadors for Christ, to implore others to be reconciled to God for God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
If God said it, I believe it, that settles it. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors. Everything is under His control. Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
We are Christ’s ambassadors given the ministry of reconciliation. He has committed to us the message of reconciliation and is making His appeal through us. Will you answer the call? Are you living under the authority of the Word of God? Are you carrying His message? Are you living for Christ? If not, then,be reconciled to God in Christ and become the righteousness of God.
