Our Messiah Must Be Made Known
“So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 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 and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5: 16-20
There is an interesting term in that passage: Ambassador. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, Paul says. What is an ambassador?
An ambassador is a messenger; someone sent by his or her sovereign to deliver a message or to communicate a request or thought or treaty. We certainly have been called to be messengers of our King, haven’t we? The last words Jesus has to say to His people as He leaves the earth can be summed up: “Go and tell them about me.” We are messengers.
An ambassador is a spokesperson; someone who advocates and champions the agenda, the convictions, the truths and the causes of his or her sovereign. We too are representatives, here today representing the light and the life and the truth of our God and King. We champion his cause, his agenda to bring people into a life-changing, soul-changing relationship with Him. This ambassador or spokesperson speaks not in his own name but on behalf of the ruler whose deputy he is, and his whole duty and responsibility is to interpret that ruler’s mind faithfully to those to whom he is sent.
An ambassador is also a representative, someone who represents the identity, the nature and the lifestyle of his or her homeland. This world isn’t our home; In giving our lives over to Christ, we’ve become citizens of Heaven. We also are to represent and characterize the identity and nature of our King, being living, walking, talking representatives of who He is, and what He is like.
We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us… And he is. God is making his appeal through us. We are the aroma of His son’s love; we are the light of His son’s power; we are the salt of His son’s truth. We are the primary way God broadcasts his love. The apostle Paul earlier in his second letter to the Corinthian church tells them that we are ‘reflections of Christ.’ Christ shines in our lives and reflects out of our hearts into the lives of others. We are to be messengers, spokespeople and representatives of Jesus Christ himself. If people are going to see Jesus Christ for themselves, they must first see Him in us and through us.
[prayer and worship]
When I was young, I was short, not like I am now. My mother tells the story that when I was in 1st or 2nd grade she was walking up the sidewalk of the elementary I was attending with my brother Brook. Brook is five years younger than me, but we as children we shared very similar appearances. Now I know this is going to be a stretch for you to believe, but I had blonde hair, very blonde hair, and was very small and thin. Brook looked very similar, but the similarities also included our mannerisms, our habits, our energy level… etc. As my mother and brother were walking up that sidewalk, my teacher walked right past them and greeted them. “Hi Mrs. Meador, Hi Kyle.” Then she stopped right in her tracks. “Wait a minute, I thought I left Kyle in the classroom…” It took her a minute or two to realize that the look-a-like wasn’t Kyle at all. She had mistaken my five-years younger brother for me.
Such things can happen when you look like someone else in appearance, in attitude, in actions…
Our goal is to introduce people to Jesus. We want everyone who doesn’t know him to fall in love with Him, to discover the hope, the joy, the power He can bring into their lives. As we read earlier, our call is to be ambassadors of Christ.
People today must see Jesus. What happens when they see him? Look at two passages that we almost always just blaze right through in our readings:
“Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick.” John 6: 1-2
“After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, ‘Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.’” John 6:14
When people see Jesus and what He can do with just the ordinary elements and people of life, they are amazed and the rush to Him, hungry for the hope he offers.
But people today are spiritually blind. Their eyes have been blinded by the master of this age. Their vision is clouded and polluted by the trappings of this world and the carnal passions of the day. How are they ever going to see Jesus?
If they are ever going to see Jesus, They must see Jesus in us. The challenge before us today is that we must bear a great resemblance to our Savior, Jesus Christ. We must look like Jesus. I’m fairly confident you recognize that looking like Jesus doesn’t mean growing a beard or wearing a certain kind of clothing. Instead, it means to clothe yourself in Christ, to be remade in His image.
We are to Look like Jesus We are to emulate the character of Jesus, the nature of Jesus, the very identity of our Lord. We take on His defining characteristics, His attitudes and mindset, His lifestyle, His passions, His persona. Literally, we ask God to remake us in the image of Jesus.
In Ephesians 5, Paul challenges the people of this early congregation:
“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5: 1-2
Imitators of Christ? What a bold and brazen quest to undertake.
What does it mean to look like Jesus? How did Jesus look? When the people of His day, the people of our day, get a glimpse of this God-made-flesh what do they see?
They see Jesus who is generous with his time, his love, his power, his means…
They see Jesus who is genuine in his care and compassion, genuine in his faith and his commitment to God and to others…
What do people see when they look at you and me? Do they see us being generous in the same ways that Jesus was? Do they see us as being genuine about our faith and our commitments?
People who looked at Jesus saw him as pure, untainted by the pollutants and perversity of the day. Jesus never allowed himself to dwell on the sordid, carnal, fleshly temptations found everywhere around him.
People who looked at Jesus saw him as powerful, powerful in his miracles. Clearly, this man Jesus wasn’t operating on just human capability but had some connection to a super-natural power source. But perhaps even more striking was the power people recognized in his truth and teaching. He didn’t try to argue, debate and persuade people that his interpretations were better than others, as the religious leaders of his day did. Instead, Jesus relied on the power found in truth. There is a wonderful power in giving someone truth, truth that can set you free from frustration, doubt, despair and confusion.
What about you and me? Do people see a real purity within us? Do people see us working ourselves away from the pollutants and impurities of our day? Do people see a power in our lives; a power that must be coming from unquestionable truth and from a supernatural source?
When people looked at Jesus they saw him as reputable. He was beyond accusation. In fact, the only charges that were ever leveled at him were libelous and falsified by religious leaders. He was beyond allegations or suspicion. People looked at him with a respect and admiration. People also looked at Jesus and saw him to be incredible receptive. He would welcome anyone who would approach him: the intelligent and the illiterate, the child-like and the child-ish, the prosperous and the impoverished, the dedicated and the desperate, the search and the sick. He had such an open door to his heart that he called, not a teacher of sinners, a changer of sinners, but a ‘friend of sinners.’
And what better friend could sinner ever find than Jesus. What kind of friend do sinners have in you? Do you look like Jesus? Does your life, your heart, your nature reflect his glory? Are you an imitation of Him? We, the church of the new millennium, must make Jesus known by looking like him.
[worship songs]
The banter of the operating room may have to be toned down, if new research on unconscious awareness in patients under total anesthesia is borne out. Surgeons have taken their patients’ oblivion as license for talking as though the patient were not there--even making remarks that patients would find frightening if they heard. But two research groups report that what anesthetized patients hear can affect them. "What the patient hears--say a remark like, ’He’s a goner’ --could conceivably have an adverse effect on his recovery," says Henry Bennett, one of the researchers.
In one study, anesthetized patients heard a taped voice tell them during surgery they should signify having heard the message by touching their ears in a postoperative interview. Later, in the interview, patients tugged at their ears, although none could recall having heard the message, nor were they particularly aware of touching their ears. Dr. Bennett, a psychologist now at the University of California Medical School at Davis, reports that when patients were given the suggestion during surgery that one hand was becoming warmer and the other cooler, the hands’ temperature did so. This suggests, says Bennett, inadvertent negative remarks--such as, "Holy Moses, this is a terrible bone graft" --could interfere with recovery. Under anesthesia, "Patients may be more vulnerable to upsetting remarks they might hear," Bennett says. "Their normal coping techniques aren’t available, since they are drugged."
Quite amazing, isn’t it?
And like a patient who has been sedated by an anesthetist, the people in this world who have not given their lives over to God are walking around with their souls’ God-created instincts, reflexes and morals impaired by the ‘drugs’ and ‘spiritual inhibitors’ of our day.
But God has planted among these drowsy, lethargic, dazed souls beacons who continually are broadcasting a pathway to clarity, and spiritual recovery. Who is are these stations broadcasting the healing messages of the Divine Physician? We are.
If the hearts and the souls of the world are ever going to come out of their stupor it will be because the hear the words and the love song of Jesus Christ – and they will only hear His words and His song if we somehow begin to sound like Jesus.
We are to Sound like Jesus.
When people heard Jesus speak and teach they were amazed at the truth and the authority of His words. Look at this passage from the gospel of Luke, just following a scene where Jesus had driven a demon out of a man in the synagogue:
“All the people were amazed and said to each other, ‘What is this teaching? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!’ And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area.” Luke 4: 36-37
“The news about him spread…” People were talking. I love the way Eugene Peterson rewrites this verse in his translation, The Message:
“Jesus was the talk of the town.” Luke 4:37 (The Message)
And anytime Jesus walked in to the synagogue, in to the market, in to someone’s home… people talked. His words, his teachings, his rebukes, his comments, his words of love had people talking.
And people weren’t talking about Jesus the way they talk about the church these days. No one is ever quoted as saying Jesus is just a hypocrite. No one ever comments on how out of date this new rabbi is.
Oh there were people who didn’t like to hear Jesus – but they belonged to the establishment who was desperately trying to maintain a control and a hold over the people’s loyalty.
No, when people heard Jesus, or heard about him, they were changed.
There is a terrific story about a woman who comes up to Jesus and just touches the hem of his robe and experiences a healing. Remember it? Where did her journey start? When did she decide to perform this daring act? Mark tells us in his gospel: “When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak…” (Mark 5:27 )
When she heard about Jesus. She heard about him and knew she had to act.
Family, we must make Jesus know today but sounding like Him. Our words, our dialogue, our conversations with the lost, our prayers, our stories all must sound like His. They must sound like Jesus in the way he confessed his trust and reliance on the father. Our vocabulary must sound like Jesus’ as they are filled with words of love, compassion and care. Our stories must be stories of hope, change and transformation that encourage everyone to seek out this King of kings.
We need to sound like Jesus to an anesthetized, stupefied, spiritually-hearing-impaired world. If they are going to hear the love song of Jesus Christ, they must hear it from us and in us.
[Worship songs]
There’s a saying I heard recently that’s both humorous and challenging: Most people wish to serve God -- but in an advisory capacity only.
I’ve told this story before, but I believe it bears repeating. The story goes: There was a young boy living in Paris at the end of the World War II. He had been orphaned by the atrocities committed within his city by the occupying German forces. He scrounged around the ruined city as best as he could to find food, clothes and shelter. But everyone was living in desperate times and he found that people either ignored him and or could find nothing to give him. Even the soldiers who had freed Paris from the German army seemed to not care about his situation.
He had heard the Priest in the church, long before war had broken out, talk about God and Jesus and living the Christian life. But with the hell on earth that the war had brought he had since lost hope of any sense of Heaven.
One cold morning, he was wandering down the street, staring into the windows of shops and cafés. He stopped outside the window of a small bakery. The smell of the fresh bread made his stomach ache with pain. He was so held by the smell and sights of the bakery, he didn’t notice the American soldier who had stopped in the street and had begun watching him with interest. The boy hardly noticed the G.I. as walked past him and into the store. He did however notice the large bag the baker was filling for the G.I. with rolls, breads, pastries and other foods. And the boy could hardly breathe when the soldier exited the shop, knelt down and handed him the bag.
The boy looked at the G.I. with astonishment and gratefulness. Finally, he looked at the soldier and asked him the question that was running through his mind: “Mister, are you Jesus?”
To be mistaken for Jesus… what an audacious, brazen dream. No, we don’t want or need to be worshiped; we’ll reserve that for the real Jesus. But to have our actions so remind others of what Jesus is about and what Jesus would do… that’s the goal.
If we are going to introduce the lost, lonely world to Jesus, we must make Jesus known by acting like Jesus. You and I must be doing the things that Jesus did while he walked the earth.
Jesus calls to live as he lived. In John 13, we see our Lord wrapping himself in a towel, washing the feet of his disciples, demonstrating the heart and actions of a servant. Listen to what Jesus says after he finishes this act, as told through The Message:
“After he had finished washing their feet, he took his robe, put it back on, and went back to his place at the table. Then he said, ‘Do you understand what I have done to you? You address me as ’Teacher’ and ’Master,’ and rightly so. That is what I am. So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other’s feet. I’ve laid down a pattern for you. What I’ve done, you do. I’m only pointing out the obvious. A servant is not ranked above his master; an employee doesn’t give orders to the employer. If you understand what I’m telling you, act like it—and live a blessed life.’” John 13: 12-17 – The Message
If you understand what I’m telling you, Jesus says, act like it. Listen to these words of Jesus, given to his disciples only hours before Jesus will be betrayed, arrested and crucified:
“The person who trusts me will not only do what I’m doing but even greater things, because I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I’ve been doing. You can count on it. From now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I’ll do it. That’s how the Father will be seen for who he is in the Son. I mean it. Whatever you request in this way, I’ll do.” John 14: 12-14 – The Message
The person who trusts in Jesus will do what he is doing and even greater things – because Jesus goes to the Father for us to make it possible!
What did Jesus do while on the earth? Jesus gave people promises to hold on to about the Father, and his power and his love. Jesus taught people to see the true Kingdom of God – now at hand. Jesus served people with a towel around his waist and a humility on his face. Jesus loved people – not just with words with his hands as held them and embraced them. Jesus healed people with his gentle touch, with his personal acceptance and with loving prayers. Jesus saved the world with his self-sacrifice on the cross.
And we are called to act as he did. We give people God’s promises, teach them about God’s kingdom, serve people’s needs, love people with our hearts and hands. We bring people into God’s presence to help them find healing and bring them to God’s sacrifice on the cross to help them find salvation.
We make Jesus known by acting like Jesus.
[Worship songs]
If we are going to be God’s church for this new millennium we must make Jesus known by looking like Jesus, sounding like Jesus and acting like Jesus.
I would like you to look at a passage with me, written by the apostle Peter:
“Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” 1 Peter 2: 11-12
As aliens in this world we are to live such good lives… Good lives? What does that mean, good lives? We tend to think of ‘living a good life’ as abstaining from evil. Please don’t reduce it to that simple and one-sided of a definition. Remember the rich young ruler who called Jesus, “Good Teacher?” Jesus asked him, “Why do you call me ‘good?’ God alone is good.”
Let’s change that word good, because only God is good. To be good is to be like God.
Live such Godly lives… Live such God-like lives among the pagans that they may see your God-like deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
Now that’s the challenge.
One Sunday as they drove home from church, a little girl turned to her mother and said, "Mommy, there’s something about the preacher’s message this morning that I don’t understand." The mother said, "Oh? What is it?" The little girl replied, "Well, he said that God is bigger than we are. He said God is so big that He could hold the world in His hand. Is that true?" The mother replied, "Yes, that’s true, honey." "But Mommy, he also said that God comes to live inside of us when we believe in Jesus as our Savior. Is that true, too?" Again, the mother assured the little girl that what the pastor had said was true. With a puzzled look on her face the little girl then asked, "If God is bigger than us and He lives in us, wouldn’t He show through?"
That’s the point isn’t it? We desperately want and need Jesus to show through. We exist to make Jesus know in our homes, in our offices, in our community, in our lives.
Let me ask you a question: How would life be different if Jesus were to come take your place? What if He took your place in the home? What if He performed your work on the job? Teenager, what if He sat in your desk in school? What if He filled my place in the pulpit? Yet, that is exactly what He wants to do. He has come to live within me to mortify the carnal works of this body, master the circumstances of my life, manifest His character, and minister to those whom my life touches every day – to make himself known through my life.
