2 Cor 5:20 “Ambassadors for Christ”
“we are ambassadors for Christ”
Intro: New Christian—learned to see that before I am anything else (student, musician, employee), I am a Christian.
-My identity shaped how I lived, what I hoped for, and how I thought of myself, and how I spent time and money.
-New identity from God: forgiven; child of God; heir of eternal life; salt; light
–Today: Ambassador.
MI: Christian, you are an ambassador for Christ, saved by grace to undertake a weighty and wonderful task!
1 What does it mean? 2 How is it possible? 3 How do we live it out?
1 WHAT DOES IT MEAN? “we are ambassadors for Christ”
What is an AMBASSADOR for Christ? And what are the characteristics of one?
-Definition. Ambassador: someone who is authorized to represent, speak and act on behalf of another person or nation.
-We have ambassadors today: Mike Waltz to the UN.
-Paul’s use of the concept: the apostles were “ambassadors for Christ”.
-We as Christians are ambassadors for Christ.
-We, as God’s people, speak God’s word to the world around us.
-“Priesthood of all believers”=not just pastors, but all Christians.
–Peter Balla “all Christians are called by God to spread the gospel as his “ambassadors.””
-Characteristics of the Ambassador of Christ
–ENTRUSTED: Entrusting to us the message of reconciliation…
-Ambassador has been ENTRUSTED by God with a message to share
–GOD WORKING THROUGH: God making his appeal through us…
-Ambassador is an agent whom God speaks through to accomplish his task
–SPEAKING ON BEHALF: We implore you on behalf of Christ,
-Ambassador has confidence to speak on behalf of another.
-URGING OTHERS TO BE RECONCILED WITH GOD: be reconciled to God.”
-Ambassadors of Christ carry this project: man becoming reconciled to God!
-This is our weighty and wonderful task: proclaim gospel so others can be right with God! -ASSUMED: Humanity’s nature state due to sin: estranged, hostile to God (Col 1:21)
WOLRDVIEW IMPLICATION: The biblical doctrine of ambassadors for Christ goes against agnostic worldview
–Agnosticism: God might exist, but we don’t know who He is or what He is like
–Bible: God exists and speaks to His people through Jesus, the apostles, and now His Word
-God is interested is speaking to us now, through the Word, and wants us to be reconciled to Him
2 HOW IT IS POSSIBLE?
To become an US ambassador is EXTREMELY difficult.
-Appointed by the president or after decades of distinguished service in the Foreign Services.
-How is it possible for us to become ambassadors for Christ??
-We are a new Creation in Christ (2 Cor 5:17)
-When we became Christians, God made us spiritually new creations
-God has made a way for us to have the righteousness of Christ (2 Cor 5:21)
-GREAT EXCHANGE
-God has entrusted to his people the “ministry of reconciliation”
-REMEMBER: It is a God-given ministry. God entrusted us, authorized us, and calls us to go and do this!
-Weighty and wonderful ministry—proclaim God’s message of grace to a world estranged from God.
CONSIDER: Gen 12:1-3 promise: All the nations blessed through the seed of Abraham
-Jesus is the promised seed of Abraham
-As people from all nations become reconciled to God through the gospel, they experience this
-Christians, as ambassadors proclaim the gospel, and those reconciled to God are blessed
3 WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?
To be a US ambassador means traveling to the UN and foreign nations.
-How do we as Christians live this out?
-EMBRACING OUR ROLE as AMBASSADORS OF CHRIST
-Rejecting the suburban mindset of consumerism
-Viewing every situation with ‘what can I get’ or ‘How can I be comfortable’
–Francis Schaeffer: Western idols of ‘personal peace and affluence’
-This has sunk deep into all of our thinking, and must be uprooted in the gospel.
-Christ has saved us to live for him, not the idols of suburbia.
-Rejecting the posture of self-righteousness and annoyance to non-Christians
-We shouldn’t have the posture of Pharisees
-Unbelievers are to be loved, prayed for, served.
-LIVING OUT our glorious role: AMBASSADOR for Christ
-This infuses meaning and glory into our relationships with others
-As you walk into Aldi, hang out at park, children’s sports
-A change in how we see ourselves.
-No longer neglecting this God-given task.
-CHURCH EVENTS
-Meetup, Independence Village, Last Fling, Cookies and Carols,
-Discipling others in the church
-INTENTIONAL WITH NEIGHBORS AND CO-WORKERS, OTHER PARENTS/SINGLES
-Neighbors, Sports games, restaurants
-SHARING THE MESSAGE of reconciliation
-“be reconciled to God” There is a need for others to be reconciled to God
-Bible: because of sin, we are NOT reconciled to God
-“God made him who knew no sin, to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God”
-GOSPEL! Goodness about God from God.
-God has made a way for us to be right with him again!
-PRAY
-Pray for “open doors for the gospel” (Col 4:2-6)
-Pray for opportunities and courage to speak the truth in love
-RELY ON GOD’S GRACE AND THE EMPOWERING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
-God empowers His people to live out this new identity as ambassadors for Christ.
-It is a weighty and wonderful task, and God will empower us to carry it on.
CLOSE: Christian, you are saved by grace and called to be an ambassador for Christ! May God grace us the help we need to more fully live out our roles as ambassadors for Christ this week and year.
