MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION
2 CORINTHIANS 5:11-21
Good morning everyone and welcome again to Rosedale.
This morning as you are turning to 2 Corinthians 5 I want to speak of reconciliation- making things right within a relationship-other people and your relationship with the Lord. Most think that they have it together but truth is they don’t.
One mem I read this week said and it was on the internet so it has to be true…finally, by bills are washed, laundry is paid, clothes are baking, and my dinner is in the dryer. I’ve got this!
2 Corinthians 5:11:-21 Read from Bible
I have titled the message “The ministry of reconciliation” Apostle Paul puts great thought in what that means for us as believers and we will take a minute to unpack its meaning.
I cautiously name it knowing that some will think of people who should mind their own business and stay out of people’s lives…maybe even stay out of your life.
Paul lays the groundwork of what ministry of reconciliation looks like.
He tells us in verse 11 “since we understand the fear of the lord. We should persuade and tell others.”
As Christ Ambassadors Paul reveals his conviction that believers “have a ministry”.
You and I have a ministry- they may not be the same but each of us have one.
It is to operate in the fear (reverence) of the Lord and we have a responsibility to tell others the Good News.
If were considered crazy, we are to be crazy for Jesus.
If we are considered in our right mind, it is to let others know what Jesus has done in our life.
I want to be crazy for Jesus!
Genesis to revelation, the bible is God trying to reconcile with mankind.
From the fall of Adam and Eve, God has tried to bridge the gap between man and God.
Jesus Christ came (gave up heaven) to walk this earth and die on the cross so that a Holy God could reconcile with sinful man.
He tells us that His spirit will bear witness with our spirit that we are the sons (Daughters) of God.
Paul tell us in beginning 2 Corinthians 5:10
“for we must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body weather good or bad.”
It is not a question of wither we will stand before Jesus and account for our lives. That is a fact. Each one of us will do that. The question is what will He say to you when you stand there.
Enter in thou good and faithful servant...
Depart from me I never knew you....
Death is a funny thing.
I know a lot of people who say they love Jesus, but most are not ready to die to see him.
I have over the years of ministry seen people ready to die and I have seen some scared to death.
I have seen some anxious and worried of the unknown, and I have seen some with a peace that could only come from God himself.
Webster’s definition of reconcile:
“To restore to friendship, or harmony”
If we understand what Christ has done for us, there should be no fear of dying.
We understand the fear of the lord is a reverence of who God is and what he had done for us, and it will compel us, to drive us, urge us, to live for Jesus and bring the message of reconciliation to those around us.
So what can we learn from this passage.
3 points / here they are
God desires to reconcile with you and I
God desires us to be new creations
God desires us to be Christ’s ambassadors
God desires to reconcile with you and I
NIRV
“All this is from God. He brought us back to himself through Christ’s death on the cross. And he has given us the task of bringing others back to him through Christ.”
NOG
“God has done all this. He has restored our relationship with him through Christ, and has given us this ministry of restoring relationships.”
MSG
Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life emerges! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you.
We have all heard the message of Christ. None of us will be able to stand before the lord and say I didn’t know.
Let the message of Christ sink deep into your soul?
Jesus Christ loves you! Not only the world in general…but you also.
He knows every bad thing about you and He loves you anyway.
Romans 5:6-
“You see, at just the right time when we were still powerless Christ died for the ungodly.”
Ephesians 2:13-
“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near though the blood of Christ.”
(V19)- “consequently you are no longer foreigners and aliens but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household.”
God has bridged the gap that you might have fellowship with Almighty God.
Not Jim Carey the actor playing Bruce Almighty
Not George Burns playing the role of God in the 1977 movie “Oh God”
I am talking about Jesus Christ desiring to be the bridge between God and man.
“For there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus”
Paul implores (begs) men, be reconciled to God. Accept his gift.
Christ love motivates me!
The gospel is not good advice, it is the good news! All good advice is summed up like this- receive… the good news
II God desires us to be new creations
Funny thing happens when someone gets saved. (least it should) There lives will never be the same.
God’s blood never loses it power.
He took our sinfulness to the cross as he was crucified and in exchange- he gave us righteousness for all who will receive it (2 Corinthians 5:21)
The power of the Holy Spirit working in our lives does not have to take a back seat to anything that is hindering your life.
There is a distinction between knowing the history of Jesus and the Christ of faith.
Romans 5:1-
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with
God through our lord Jesus Christ thorough whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand”
.
We are new creations- the old is gone-
“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
“He who began a new work in you will bring it to pass in Jesus Christ”
I am convinced
I am confident
I am persuaded
I am sure of
God began a good work in you-
I know that God has done
Whatever translation you want to read from doesn’t change the fact that God has done a new thing in the life of every believer-
Give me the top answers on the board Johnny!
The failure of the past- gone
Inability to please God- gone
Our fighting against God-gone
Best of all- breakdown in relationship between us and God- gone
Continue to perfect
Will perform in you
Carry it to completion
Keep it growing until
The old is gone if you will just throw it out of your life!
God desires us to be Christ’s ambassadors
(V20) “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ behalf be reconciled to God”.
Here’s the thing- first God reconciled you- pulls you into a relationship with him. He compels us the bible says to tell others what Christ has done for us.
Ambassadors:
Ambassador is a representative who holds citizenship in one country and represents the interest of his or her country in a foreign land.
As Christ ambassadors
We are called to reconcile those that are far from God and each other
People have many reasons that they are estranged from God.
Feel like God has abandoned them or let them down.
They feel like they are not good enough.
They had at one time daily dialog with God and may be embarrassed to come back to him.
We are ambassadors for Christ
We are citizens of the kingdom of God, who live here on this earth.
According to Pastor Rick Renner you have a high ranking, esteemed, celebrated, impressive, and influential job in the kingdom of God. You are so important that all of heaven is behind you, waiting to back you up, defend for you and provide for you the help that is needed.
Why?????? Because you are an Ambassador for Christ to this world!
Ambassador from the Greek word “presbeuo” (press-be- yo) means ambassador or one who fulfills the duties of an ambassador. How wonderful that Paul would use that word to describe you and I.
New Testament church/ ambassador
A person sent to represent a nation to a foreign land.
Diplomatic agent of the highest rank accredited to a foreign government or king.
Representative temporary sent to a foreign country to represent the king or country that sent him.
An authorized messenger who has the power to make decisions and to represent the will of the nation, or king that sent him.
An official who is authorized to speak on behalf of the sender.
According to 2 Corinthians 5:20- We are heavenly delegates- ambassadors
As an ambassador of Christ
“We are the voice of heaven. As his representative, we are authorized to speak and act on behalf of the Lord. And as heavens ambassador, we are fully backed, fully funded, fully defended, and fully assisted by the authority of heaven.”
Paraphrased- if you still have not jumped out of your chair yet-
“We are sent forth and temporarily stationed here to be His voice and His will- A true representation of who He really is.
As an official representative sent here to do his business, we are backed by all of power and resources of heaven.”
God compels us to go the extra mile!
Don’t ever think that you are unimportant to the plan of God. You represent Jesus Christ to your family, employer, and neighbor. You have been invested in by the king of kings and the Lord of Lords and you have value! Great value!
Some of us are here today because someone wouldn’t give up on us.
Closing:
God has a word for all of us today…
If things are not right between you and Jesus. You have an opportunity to make it right.
He has made the first move.
He is here right now.
The spirit of God is speaking to you- you need to reconcile with the lord this morning.
If that is you this morning I want to pray with you.
Jesus said that when we come to Christ we are new creations, old is gone.
Maybe you’re here this morning and the old just keeps hanging around. You just cannot seem to shake it.
I want to pray for you also
I know Jesus- but I want to shake this old way of life and begin to live victorious.
He tells us to be ambassadors- leaders in a foreign land.
Message of Christ is so real-
I not only want it for my life, but all those that I come in contact with.
Compel them, drive and urge them, to give it my attention.
To see a world that definitely needs Jesus
As ambassadors all we can do is try to help those far from God to find their way home.
