WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.360 Welcome to the sermon podcast of Exodus Church, located in Belmont, North Carolina. 00:00:05.360 --> 00:00:11.660 For more information about our church and the many ways you can be involved, you can go to our website at exoduschurch.com. 00:00:11.660 --> 00:00:18.399 All right, now, if you'll take your Bible and turn to 2 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians. 00:00:18.399 --> 00:00:20.620 We're in this series called Designed. 00:00:20.620 --> 00:00:22.440 We've been in it for several weeks. 00:00:22.440 --> 00:00:30.280 We've looked at God's design in everything from creation to gender to marriage to family. 00:00:30.280 --> 00:00:33.219 We've talked about all of God's good design in those things. 00:00:33.219 --> 00:00:43.119 And if you've not yet heard some of those sermons, I would point you to our website where you can see all the links to YouTube and all those other places where you can watch or listen. 00:00:43.119 --> 00:00:47.439 We've also talked about what happens when we reject God's design. 00:00:47.439 --> 00:00:53.960 We've looked at how God's word tells us that when we reject God's design in one of these areas, we ruin lives. 00:00:53.960 --> 00:00:56.960 We ruin our lives when we reject God's design. 00:00:56.960 --> 00:01:00.820 We ruin the lives of others when we reject God's design. 00:01:00.820 --> 00:01:07.680 And then last week, we made a turn from God's design in creation to God's redesign in Christ. 00:01:07.680 --> 00:01:20.840 Last week, Pastor Tyler talked about how Christ is the firstborn over all creation, not in the sense that he was the first one created, but firstborn there as supreme and sovereign over creation. 00:01:21.519 --> 00:01:23.920 And then he's also firstborn from among the dead. 00:01:23.920 --> 00:01:31.439 So he's supreme and sovereign over this new creation that God has established in Christ. 00:01:31.439 --> 00:01:37.959 And over the next several weeks, we're gonna be considering what it means to be redesigned in Christ. 00:01:37.959 --> 00:01:41.040 What does that mean for us as individuals? 00:01:41.040 --> 00:01:42.680 What does it mean to be saved? 00:01:42.680 --> 00:01:47.120 What does it mean for us to be shaped into the image and likeness of Jesus? 00:01:47.120 --> 00:01:49.560 What does God use to do that? 00:01:49.560 --> 00:01:51.760 And then we're gonna talk about what does that mean for us? 00:01:51.760 --> 00:01:54.400 What does it mean for the church to be redesigned? 00:01:54.400 --> 00:01:57.959 What does it mean for us to be redesigned for the mission of Jesus? 00:01:57.959 --> 00:02:05.439 And then we'll finish with where is all this headed as we look at God's design for the new heaven and new earth? 00:02:05.439 --> 00:02:08.120 Where are we going? 00:02:08.120 --> 00:02:11.560 And I'm excited as we move through this series together. 00:02:11.560 --> 00:02:18.680 And now today, we're looking at this idea of what does it mean to be redesigned or remade in Jesus? 00:02:19.099 --> 00:02:21.520 What does it mean for us to be saved? 00:02:21.520 --> 00:02:38.240 Now, it's important that we understand that it is a redesign, that we are remade, that this is not simply a revision, that this isn't that we need to be slightly corrected or maybe slightly edited as if we're pretty good as we are. 00:02:38.240 --> 00:02:41.319 We just need to kind of add some Jesus to us. 00:02:41.319 --> 00:02:44.319 That's not what the gospel is about. 00:02:44.319 --> 00:02:51.800 It's also not a rebrand where as if the only issue is what's on the outside, that we just need to change the outside and the inside's fine. 00:02:51.800 --> 00:02:58.400 No, the gospel tells us that we need to be remade all the way from our actions, all the way down to our nature. 00:02:58.400 --> 00:03:01.680 And so it's more than a revision, certainly. 00:03:01.680 --> 00:03:03.319 It's certainly more than a rebrand. 00:03:03.319 --> 00:03:10.879 This is a redesign where the old is gone and the new has come. 00:03:10.879 --> 00:03:14.860 And I have two hopes for us today as we go through God's word. 00:03:14.860 --> 00:03:22.240 The first hope I have today is that if there's anyone listening who has not yet met Jesus, that you would meet Jesus today. 00:03:22.240 --> 00:03:33.020 I would urge you to pray with me for those around you, that if someone has not yet been made new by Jesus, that they would be made new today. 00:03:33.020 --> 00:03:53.000 And then the second hope I have is that we would be so caught up by what God has done for us in Christ that we would be so amazed at this news of the gospel that we would be set ablaze to share this news with those around us. 00:03:53.000 --> 00:04:04.719 Our passage today is gonna say we're ambassadors, that we would be just ignited with a fire to share this good news that we've heard, experienced, and believe. 00:04:04.719 --> 00:04:07.199 So that's my hope for us today, those two things. 00:04:07.199 --> 00:04:12.280 So let's look at God's word, I'll pray, and then we'll jump in to God's word together. 00:04:12.280 --> 00:04:15.879 Second Corinthians five, we're gonna start at verse 16. 00:04:15.879 --> 00:04:24.399 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh, even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 00:04:24.399 --> 00:04:27.199 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he's a new creation. 00:04:27.199 --> 00:04:30.800 The old has passed away, behold, the new has come. 00:04:30.800 --> 00:04:38.279 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. 00:04:38.279 --> 00:04:49.360 That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 00:04:49.360 --> 00:04:52.259 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ. 00:04:52.259 --> 00:04:59.740 God making his appeal through us, we implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 00:04:59.740 --> 00:05:09.980 For our sake, he made him to be sin, who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 00:05:09.980 --> 00:05:11.759 Let's pray together. 00:05:11.759 --> 00:05:23.500 Father God, thank you so much for the privilege of gathering here today to study your word, to sing songs that are true, to remind our minds and hearts of the good news of the gospel. 00:05:23.500 --> 00:05:39.839 And Lord, I pray that we would be reminded today, that we'd be reminded of this great news, this message of reconciliation, that you were in Christ, reconciling the world to yourself, not counting our trespasses against us. 00:05:39.839 --> 00:05:44.839 What gloriously good news that we have to celebrate today. 00:05:44.839 --> 00:05:55.259 And Lord, I pray that we would believe that in fullness today, that you would capture our hearts and our minds with the beauty of what your word says. 00:05:55.259 --> 00:06:10.259 And Lord, then I pray that you would then send us out as ambassadors, appealing, imploring, begging the world to hear and believe the good message that you have entrusted us with. 00:06:10.259 --> 00:06:13.019 So Lord, help us, help us as we study your word. 00:06:13.019 --> 00:06:23.620 Give us eyes to see, give us ears to hear, and give us hearts that are receptive to your word and responsive to what your word calls us to. 00:06:23.620 --> 00:06:27.180 And we pray this all in the name of Jesus, amen. 00:06:27.180 --> 00:06:33.259 So 2 Corinthians is the second letter we have that Paul wrote the church in Corinth. 00:06:33.259 --> 00:06:39.079 We know from Paul that he wrote another letter, but we don't have that as part of the New Testament. 00:06:39.079 --> 00:06:40.319 It's a pastoral letter. 00:06:40.319 --> 00:06:42.519 He's very concerned for the people. 00:06:42.519 --> 00:06:45.220 He shares that with them throughout this letter. 00:06:45.220 --> 00:06:56.620 And in this section, he's reminding them of what God has done for them in Christ and what they are then called to do in response. 00:06:56.620 --> 00:06:59.160 And so we're gonna see three points today. 00:06:59.160 --> 00:07:04.360 We are made new, we are made righteous, and we are made ambassadors. 00:07:04.360 --> 00:07:06.600 Let's start with made new. 00:07:06.600 --> 00:07:09.120 We see that in verse 16 and 17. 00:07:09.120 --> 00:07:16.560 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh, even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 00:07:16.560 --> 00:07:19.839 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. 00:07:19.839 --> 00:07:21.360 The old has passed away. 00:07:21.360 --> 00:07:23.800 Behold, the new has come. 00:07:23.800 --> 00:07:28.720 Now, Paul begins this section with this phrase, from now on, therefore. 00:07:28.720 --> 00:07:36.839 So apparently, something has happened in history that Paul would say, okay, from now on, things are gonna be different. 00:07:36.839 --> 00:07:39.000 From now on, things are not the same. 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:48.100 So what is the thing that has happened in history that would cause Paul to say, from now on, therefore, we do things differently? 00:07:48.100 --> 00:08:02.240 Well, we see that in verses 14 and 15, where Paul says, for the love of Christ controls us because we have concluded this, that one has died for all, therefore, all have died. 00:08:02.240 --> 00:08:15.000 And he died for all, that those who might live, excuse me, those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 00:08:15.000 --> 00:08:20.680 So what's the thing that happened that would cause Paul to say, from now on, therefore? 00:08:20.680 --> 00:08:31.959 Well, that thing, that singular, cosmic, incredible reality is that Jesus Christ died on the cross, was buried, and was raised to new life. 00:08:31.959 --> 00:08:38.320 And that singular event would cause Paul to say, from now on, therefore. 00:08:38.320 --> 00:08:43.659 So everything from the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is now different for Paul. 00:08:43.659 --> 00:08:57.480 And what he says here in verse 16 is, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh, even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 00:08:57.480 --> 00:08:59.120 Now, what is going on here? 00:08:59.120 --> 00:09:00.279 What's going on here? 00:09:00.279 --> 00:09:04.480 There's a few ways that scholars kind of look at this. 00:09:04.480 --> 00:09:12.639 I think the primary way is that Paul is getting at Christ died for more than simply the Jewish people. 00:09:12.639 --> 00:09:31.440 And so when we say we regard no one according to the flesh, Paul is getting at this idea that Christ's death, burial, and resurrection took this from the idea that Christ came for the Jewish people only to this reality that Christ came for the world. 00:09:31.440 --> 00:09:39.080 And in Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, Paul is saying, look, we don't look at people through their ethnicity only anymore. 00:09:39.080 --> 00:09:45.299 We don't look at people through their nationality only anymore because Christ died for the world. 00:09:45.299 --> 00:09:48.519 And that's not to say that ethnicity is not important. 00:09:48.519 --> 00:09:52.639 It's not to say that Jesus being a Jewish man is not important. 00:09:52.639 --> 00:09:54.759 Paul valued his Jewish heritage. 00:09:54.759 --> 00:09:57.039 It's not to say that Israel is not important. 00:09:57.039 --> 00:10:01.639 We should certainly pray for that country today with what they're enduring. 00:10:01.639 --> 00:10:10.720 But what Paul is getting at is that the death, burial, and resurrection is a historic turning point. 00:10:10.720 --> 00:10:18.480 And he says, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh, even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 00:10:18.480 --> 00:10:22.559 So we're no longer looking at people simply through the lens of ethnicity. 00:10:22.559 --> 00:10:24.080 Paul is saying. 00:10:24.080 --> 00:10:26.360 So what lens are we looking at people through? 00:10:26.360 --> 00:10:28.259 We're looking at them through the lens of Jesus. 00:10:28.259 --> 00:10:29.600 Look at verse 17. 00:10:29.600 --> 00:10:33.879 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he's a new creation. 00:10:33.879 --> 00:10:38.879 The old has passed, behold, the new has come. 00:10:38.879 --> 00:10:59.679 Paul is saying, if anyone is in Christ, if anyone has trusted Christ, if anyone has heard the gospel of Jesus, they've understood they are sinners, they've repented of sins, they've placed their faith and hope in Jesus, they are then in Christ, and if they are in Christ, they're a new creation, they've been made new. 00:10:59.679 --> 00:11:01.200 They're a new creation. 00:11:01.200 --> 00:11:05.000 The old is passed away, the new has come, he says. 00:11:05.000 --> 00:11:08.899 We are not a revision as if we needed some slight correction. 00:11:08.899 --> 00:11:12.080 We're not a rebrand as if we simply needed a new outside. 00:11:12.080 --> 00:11:14.360 We are now redesigned in Christ. 00:11:14.360 --> 00:11:18.320 We are a new creation in Christ. 00:11:18.320 --> 00:11:21.799 The old has passed away, the new has come. 00:11:21.799 --> 00:11:26.799 Now, what is, two things about what that means. 00:11:26.799 --> 00:11:32.639 First, being made new does not mean that you become not you. 00:11:32.639 --> 00:11:38.659 We get a lot of questions sometimes when we talk about a verse like this, where people will say, well, look, so who do I become then? 00:11:38.659 --> 00:11:44.799 Like, if the old me is gone and the new me is here, what is, am I a completely different person? 00:11:44.799 --> 00:11:46.879 Like, what is happening here? 00:11:46.879 --> 00:11:49.759 Well, I don't think that's exactly what Paul is getting at. 00:11:49.759 --> 00:11:56.080 I think what Paul is getting at is that we are now a new us in relation to Jesus. 00:11:56.080 --> 00:12:06.200 So we still have our quirks, we still have our likes and dislikes, we still have our gifts, talents, and abilities, but what we have now is a new heart to follow Jesus. 00:12:06.200 --> 00:12:08.840 We have a new heart that wants to serve Jesus. 00:12:08.840 --> 00:12:14.399 We have a new heart that wants to say no to sin and yes to Jesus. 00:12:14.399 --> 00:12:19.399 So we are still ourselves, but we're ourselves made new. 00:12:20.720 --> 00:12:24.320 We're a new creation in Jesus Christ. 00:12:24.320 --> 00:12:30.100 I wonder too, if even some of that question is from a wrong place. 00:12:30.100 --> 00:12:36.659 Like, why would you so much care who you are if you're now made new in Jesus? 00:12:36.659 --> 00:12:43.179 If we could be made new in Jesus, why would we be wanting who we were? 00:12:43.179 --> 00:12:45.960 We're made new. 00:12:45.960 --> 00:12:48.320 We're made new. 00:12:48.320 --> 00:12:52.759 Second thing, being made new does not mean that all your problems go away. 00:12:52.759 --> 00:12:56.480 Our experiences are not gone. 00:12:56.480 --> 00:12:59.679 The pain that's done to us and by us is not gone. 00:12:59.679 --> 00:13:02.700 The hurt done to us and by us is not gone. 00:13:02.700 --> 00:13:05.519 The consequences of our sin are not gone. 00:13:05.519 --> 00:13:08.919 Being made new doesn't mean that all of our problems go away. 00:13:08.919 --> 00:13:22.279 I was preaching this passage to a group of high school students a long time ago, and this high school girl came up to me, and she had endured far too much to be a high school girl. 00:13:22.279 --> 00:13:29.679 I mean, just had endured far too much pain and difficulty and heartbreak, and just had endured so much. 00:13:29.679 --> 00:13:31.399 And she heard the gospel that night. 00:13:31.399 --> 00:13:36.940 She wanted to trust Jesus, and she came up to me, and she said, I wanna trust Jesus, but I have one question. 00:13:36.940 --> 00:13:37.779 I said, what's that? 00:13:37.779 --> 00:13:40.679 She said, if I trust Jesus, will my pain go away? 00:13:40.679 --> 00:13:49.080 And I listened more to her story, and I said, listen, I wanna be really honest with you. 00:13:49.080 --> 00:13:53.279 If you trust Jesus today, your pain will not go away today. 00:13:53.279 --> 00:14:01.419 When you're a new creation, that doesn't mean that we don't still have our pain and our consequences and all those things. 00:14:01.419 --> 00:14:14.440 But what I can promise is that you're forgiven, that Jesus is present in your pain, and that if you trust Jesus, there's coming a day when you won't have pain anymore. 00:14:15.440 --> 00:14:22.759 But I won't twist the gospel to help you so that you'll think that if you just trust Jesus, everything's better. 00:14:22.759 --> 00:14:30.159 And she said, well, if Jesus will be with me in my pain, I wanna trust him. 00:14:30.159 --> 00:14:32.200 And she was made new. 00:14:32.200 --> 00:14:35.360 In Christ, we're made new. 00:14:35.360 --> 00:14:38.519 The old is gone, the new has come. 00:14:38.519 --> 00:14:40.519 We're a new creation. 00:14:40.519 --> 00:14:42.960 Second thing, we are made righteous. 00:14:42.960 --> 00:14:44.279 Look at verse 21. 00:14:44.279 --> 00:14:54.799 It says, for our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him, we might become the righteousness of God. 00:14:54.799 --> 00:14:58.759 Now, that is a really thick, packed verse. 00:14:58.759 --> 00:15:01.120 Let's try to unpack it a little bit. 00:15:01.120 --> 00:15:03.759 First, for our sake. 00:15:03.759 --> 00:15:06.919 Notice, you and I were the ones in need here. 00:15:06.919 --> 00:15:09.120 You and I were the ones who had rebelled against God. 00:15:09.120 --> 00:15:15.759 You and I were the ones who had sinned against God, and we were not simply unable to save ourselves. 00:15:15.759 --> 00:15:18.519 We were running away from God actively. 00:15:18.519 --> 00:15:25.399 And yet, even though that's true, for our sake, God does something. 00:15:25.399 --> 00:15:26.919 Look at verse 21. 00:15:26.919 --> 00:15:37.440 He, that's God the Father, made him, that's God the Son, to be sin who knew no sin. 00:15:37.440 --> 00:15:41.080 So God the Father makes God the Son who knew no sin. 00:15:41.080 --> 00:15:43.759 Okay, he had never done anything wrong. 00:15:43.759 --> 00:15:45.559 He had always done everything right. 00:15:45.559 --> 00:15:47.279 He had never disobeyed God. 00:15:47.279 --> 00:16:04.399 He had always obeyed God, and yet, for our sake, God took all of our sin that we have committed, that we would ever commit, all of our sin, for all who would trust in him, and they placed it, and God the Father placed it on God the Son. 00:16:04.399 --> 00:16:10.559 God, he made him to be sin who knew no sin. 00:16:11.240 --> 00:16:13.860 Can you imagine that moment for Jesus? 00:16:13.860 --> 00:16:15.559 Can you imagine that moment for Jesus? 00:16:15.559 --> 00:16:24.120 What he was praying about in Gethsemane when he said, Father, if it's possible, let this cup pass from me, wasn't the beating by the Roman soldiers. 00:16:24.120 --> 00:16:37.399 It was the bearing of the wrath of God, this reality of him becoming sin for us, because he knew no sin, but he knew taking that on was gonna be incredibly traumatic. 00:16:40.440 --> 00:16:45.440 And yet, God made Jesus to be sin who knew no sin, why? 00:16:45.440 --> 00:16:51.279 So that in him, we might become the righteousness of God. 00:16:51.279 --> 00:17:01.879 God the Father made God the Son to be sin. 00:17:01.879 --> 00:17:10.319 He took all of our sin on himself so that you and I might become the righteousness of God. 00:17:10.319 --> 00:17:15.319 Jesus took all our sin, we get all his righteousness. 00:17:15.319 --> 00:17:24.079 Theologians throughout time have called that the great exchange, where our sin is exchanged for his righteousness. 00:17:24.079 --> 00:17:33.759 Our sin is given to Christ, he dies, he forgives us, and then we get the righteousness of God placed on us. 00:17:33.759 --> 00:17:38.240 This is incredibly good news. 00:17:38.240 --> 00:17:46.359 The theological word for this is justification, that we are declared righteous before the throne of God. 00:17:46.359 --> 00:17:53.799 Jesus took our place as sinner, we get his banner as righteous, incredible. 00:17:53.799 --> 00:18:06.400 Which means that the primary label across your life is not sinner deserving judgment, but son declared righteous, daughter declared righteous. 00:18:07.400 --> 00:18:12.400 That we might become the righteousness of God in him. 00:18:12.400 --> 00:18:19.440 And this is not simply a revision as if we needed some tweaking. 00:18:19.440 --> 00:18:23.920 This is not a rebrand as if we simply needed a righteous veneer. 00:18:23.920 --> 00:18:35.160 This is a redesign where our hearts are changed and we are now forgiven and declared righteous before the throne of God in Christ. 00:18:36.279 --> 00:18:38.559 And so if you are in Christ, you have been remade. 00:18:38.559 --> 00:18:42.920 If you are in Christ, you have been made righteous in him. 00:18:42.920 --> 00:18:47.279 You stand before God the father in the righteousness of God the son. 00:18:47.279 --> 00:18:53.440 He's taken all you've done so that we could receive all he's done. 00:18:53.440 --> 00:19:00.000 He took all our sin, we get all his righteousness. 00:19:00.000 --> 00:19:03.539 And that is a glorious truth. 00:19:03.539 --> 00:19:08.039 Now, the evil one does not want you to believe this. 00:19:08.039 --> 00:19:10.519 Okay, he does not want you to believe this. 00:19:10.519 --> 00:19:15.640 He's gonna try to remind you of all your sin, all the stuff you've done in your past, maybe all the stuff you did last night. 00:19:15.640 --> 00:19:19.920 Like he's gonna try to remind you of all those things. 00:19:19.920 --> 00:19:25.839 And then if that doesn't work, he's not gonna be able to convince most of us that this verse is not true. 00:19:25.839 --> 00:19:30.440 But what he'll do is he'll convince you that it's true for everybody else but you. 00:19:30.440 --> 00:19:35.299 Oh, it's true, it's still true, but it's for everybody else but you. 00:19:35.299 --> 00:19:47.119 But what the truth of God's word is that everyone who is in Christ stands before God the father with the righteousness of Jesus. 00:19:47.119 --> 00:19:59.779 So when you come to him in prayer, whether you're standing in prayer, kneeling in prayer, curled up in a ball in prayer, you come in the righteousness of Jesus. 00:19:59.779 --> 00:20:06.700 Because God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in him. 00:20:06.700 --> 00:20:13.019 As a Christian, we need to remember, we need to remember we've got really good news. 00:20:13.019 --> 00:20:18.779 We've got really good news that we are made new and that we are made righteous. 00:20:18.779 --> 00:20:22.619 And in the midst of this, we're made ambassadors. 00:20:22.619 --> 00:20:24.660 Look at verse 18. 00:20:24.660 --> 00:20:28.259 It says, all this is from God. 00:20:28.259 --> 00:20:30.660 Okay, all this is from God, Paul's saying. 00:20:30.660 --> 00:20:32.579 Look, all of it. 00:20:32.579 --> 00:20:42.740 Our being made new creations, our being reconciled in Christ, our being made the righteousness of God, all this is from God. 00:20:42.740 --> 00:20:50.339 We didn't initiate it, we didn't deserve it, we didn't get God's attention, and he goes, oh, oh man, I need to do something for them. 00:20:50.339 --> 00:20:58.900 No, all this is from God, he says, who through Christ reconciled us to himself. 00:20:58.900 --> 00:21:13.339 In other words, God in Christ took the thing away that was causing distance, that was causing punishment, that was causing wrath. 00:21:13.339 --> 00:21:21.500 God took that away, reconciled us to himself, and then he gave us two things. 00:21:21.500 --> 00:21:26.799 He gave us the ministry of reconciliation and the message of reconciliation. 00:21:27.720 --> 00:21:30.019 He made us ambassadors. 00:21:30.019 --> 00:21:31.420 Look at verse 18. 00:21:31.420 --> 00:21:34.319 It says, he gave us the ministry of reconciliation. 00:21:34.319 --> 00:21:38.319 That word ministry is the word we get the English word deacon from. 00:21:38.319 --> 00:21:45.819 It's the idea of someone who has a service, a stewardship, or a responsibility. 00:21:45.819 --> 00:21:49.819 And the idea here is that we are given the stewardship of reconciliation. 00:21:49.819 --> 00:22:05.099 In other words, we are given the work while God's done the heavy lifting, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, God's the one who's done all this, and he gives us the stewardship of taking that into the world. 00:22:05.099 --> 00:22:11.759 We get to take this message into the world and say, hey, listen, I've got good news for you. 00:22:11.759 --> 00:22:18.299 The God you've offended loves you and died for you and sent his son to die for you so that you could be reconciled to him. 00:22:18.299 --> 00:22:26.920 We are given the ministry stewardship responsibility of this reconciliation. 00:22:26.920 --> 00:22:34.240 God does the heavy lifting, we get to bring the good news into the world, which is the second thing connected to the ministry. 00:22:34.240 --> 00:22:38.480 Not only is there a ministry of reconciliation, there's a message of reconciliation. 00:22:38.480 --> 00:22:41.200 Look again at verse 19. 00:22:41.200 --> 00:22:55.240 That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 00:22:55.240 --> 00:23:06.700 So this ministry has a message, and you and I are called and given opportunity to take this message into the world. 00:23:06.700 --> 00:23:07.539 What message? 00:23:07.539 --> 00:23:13.740 That God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their sins against them. 00:23:13.740 --> 00:23:15.339 We have this message. 00:23:15.339 --> 00:23:29.819 We've got the best news in the world that God has made a way for rebels to be reconciled, that God has made a way for sinners to be saved, that God has made a way for those who have sinned to be made righteous. 00:23:29.819 --> 00:23:34.099 And then he calls us ambassadors in verse 20. 00:23:34.099 --> 00:23:36.700 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ. 00:23:36.700 --> 00:23:43.200 Now, an ambassador is someone who is a representative who brings a message from the king. 00:23:43.200 --> 00:23:47.380 The ambassador is not the one who creates the message. 00:23:47.380 --> 00:23:50.059 The ambassador is not the one who crafts the message. 00:23:50.059 --> 00:23:53.940 The ambassador is not the one who kind of tweaks the message. 00:23:53.940 --> 00:23:58.059 The ambassador simply brings the message from the king. 00:23:58.059 --> 00:24:02.140 Imagine that you go out to lunch today or brunch, whatever time you guys get out. 00:24:02.140 --> 00:24:13.339 So you go out to the restaurant and you order your food and you see the server leave the little door from the kitchen, carrying your plate, and they're kind of moving things around. 00:24:13.339 --> 00:24:16.180 You know, they wanna, you know, you eat with your eyes first, right? 00:24:16.180 --> 00:24:20.740 And so they wanna make sure that it's visually appealing and they set it down on the table. 00:24:20.740 --> 00:24:24.700 You would look at that server and go, I'm sorry, no. 00:24:24.700 --> 00:24:31.099 Like, you need to take this back to the cook because the cook is the one who's gonna get the food correct. 00:24:31.099 --> 00:24:35.660 All you're supposed to do is to bring it from the cook to the table. 00:24:35.660 --> 00:24:38.160 You're not supposed to mess with it along the way. 00:24:38.160 --> 00:24:45.200 As ambassadors, we're to hear the message from the king and we're to get it to the world. 00:24:45.200 --> 00:24:46.259 What's the message? 00:24:46.259 --> 00:24:52.480 That God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not counting their sins against them. 00:24:52.480 --> 00:24:54.380 That's the message. 00:24:54.380 --> 00:24:59.099 And we're not to tweak that, mess with that, adjust that, make that more palatable. 00:24:59.099 --> 00:25:03.240 We're to get the message from the king to the people. 00:25:03.240 --> 00:25:06.900 Now, notice how we do that in verse 20. 00:25:06.900 --> 00:25:15.220 "'Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ,"'God making his appeal through us.'" That word appeal is translated beg. 00:25:15.220 --> 00:25:22.299 "'God making his appeal, plea, God begging through us. 00:25:22.299 --> 00:25:26.440 "'Be reconciled to God. 00:25:26.440 --> 00:25:33.900 "'We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.'" That word implore is another word that's connected to the idea of begging. 00:25:33.900 --> 00:25:39.299 So we've got this message of reconciliation that God was in Christ, reconciling the world. 00:25:39.299 --> 00:25:41.940 We've got the manner of our ministry. 00:25:41.940 --> 00:25:43.259 We beg people. 00:25:43.259 --> 00:25:46.819 Plead, you don't have to go to hell. 00:25:46.819 --> 00:25:49.980 You don't have to live life in opposition to God. 00:25:49.980 --> 00:25:52.859 You don't have to live life rejecting the God who loves you. 00:25:52.859 --> 00:25:55.900 He made a way for you to be reconciled and brought in. 00:25:55.900 --> 00:25:58.259 We beg them to. 00:25:58.259 --> 00:26:02.740 We implore, we appeal, we urge. 00:26:02.740 --> 00:26:06.440 We beg them to come. 00:26:06.440 --> 00:26:15.400 Not because we don't believe God's not, we believe God's not sovereign and able to save, but because God sent us as ambassadors and says to us, beg them to come in. 00:26:15.400 --> 00:26:25.640 And so we're made new, we're made righteous, we're made ambassadors with this amazing message. 00:26:25.640 --> 00:26:28.380 This amazing message. 00:26:28.380 --> 00:26:34.099 And then God sends us into the world with this message. 00:26:34.099 --> 00:26:38.819 We are made ambassadors, which leads us to kind of the application point for today. 00:26:38.819 --> 00:26:40.220 And that's simply this. 00:26:40.220 --> 00:26:41.740 We've got good news to share. 00:26:41.740 --> 00:26:44.859 We've got really good news to share. 00:26:44.859 --> 00:26:49.420 We've got good news to share. 00:26:49.420 --> 00:26:58.180 You know, if the gospel was a revision, that would not be good news because you would never know if you got it all right. 00:26:58.180 --> 00:27:05.299 If the gospel were a rebrand, that's not good news either because you know what's inside. 00:27:05.299 --> 00:27:12.500 You know that if it's simply a rebrand, you just got a new logo, you just got a new outside and the inside hasn't been changed. 00:27:12.500 --> 00:27:18.220 The gospel of Jesus is not only that we are reconciled to God, but that we are made new by him. 00:27:18.220 --> 00:27:21.299 And that's good news. 00:27:21.299 --> 00:27:23.819 That's good news. 00:27:23.819 --> 00:27:26.099 Because it doesn't depend on us. 00:27:26.099 --> 00:27:27.519 It depends fully on him. 00:27:27.519 --> 00:27:31.740 We've got good news to share. 00:27:31.740 --> 00:27:39.119 And to the degree that we know the news is good, we will share it. 00:27:39.119 --> 00:27:44.900 To the degree that we know the news is good, we will share it. 00:27:44.900 --> 00:27:49.900 So Christian, Christian, do you believe this good news? 00:27:49.900 --> 00:27:54.759 Do you believe that in Christ you've been made new? 00:27:54.759 --> 00:28:01.940 Do you believe that in Christ you've been made the righteousness of God? 00:28:05.019 --> 00:28:10.019 That in Christ you have the label righteous? 00:28:10.019 --> 00:28:17.460 That you have standing with God? 00:28:17.460 --> 00:28:25.059 That you are no longer a sinner, you are now saved, made new, made righteous? 00:28:25.059 --> 00:28:31.460 And that because that is the work of Jesus, it cannot be changed or altered? 00:28:34.240 --> 00:28:41.460 That in Christ you stand before God the Father, saved, loved, holy, righteous, blameless. 00:28:41.460 --> 00:28:51.319 And that the Bible says in Jude, that he is able to present us before God the Father, blameless and with great joy. 00:28:51.319 --> 00:28:57.539 Like when Jesus brings you in the presence of God the Father, he's not like, hey, let's not look at him. 00:28:57.539 --> 00:29:01.019 No, no, no, he's one of the ones I died for. 00:29:01.019 --> 00:29:02.220 He belongs to you. 00:29:03.259 --> 00:29:06.839 And he's filled with great joy for you. 00:29:06.839 --> 00:29:09.119 But do you believe that? 00:29:09.119 --> 00:29:12.059 Do you believe that? 00:29:12.059 --> 00:29:17.740 Do you believe deep in your gut that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ? 00:29:17.740 --> 00:29:27.099 Do you believe deep in your gut that God loves you and that you are reconciled to God because of what Christ did for you on the cross? 00:29:27.099 --> 00:29:29.259 Do you believe that deep in your gut? 00:29:29.259 --> 00:29:35.740 Because if we don't believe that, if we don't see that it's good news, we won't share it. 00:29:35.740 --> 00:29:47.140 No matter who tells us to or how many times we get trained to or all the time somebody tries to guilt trip us into doing it, like, unless we know that we have good news, we're not gonna share it. 00:29:47.140 --> 00:29:51.099 And when we have good news, it's hard not to share good news. 00:29:51.099 --> 00:29:53.900 Somebody told me something on Monday, I had to keep quiet till Wednesday. 00:29:53.900 --> 00:29:55.460 I said, no, I'm not the guy for that. 00:29:55.460 --> 00:29:56.900 Like, I'm just not. 00:29:56.900 --> 00:29:59.799 Like I've told people they were getting proposed to before. 00:29:59.799 --> 00:30:01.259 Like I've told people about baby. 00:30:01.259 --> 00:30:04.380 I'm just, don't tell me something you don't want people to know. 00:30:04.380 --> 00:30:06.880 Just don't. 00:30:06.880 --> 00:30:13.140 And like all Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday morning, I'm like, don't. 00:30:13.140 --> 00:30:16.339 Because good news you wanna share. 00:30:16.339 --> 00:30:18.759 You wanna share good news. 00:30:18.759 --> 00:30:27.180 I was at a coffee shop this week and somebody, a family came in and they had shirts from the place we went on vacation a couple of weeks ago. 00:30:27.180 --> 00:30:31.700 And so I started interacting with them about this place and they said, yeah, we're going in a couple of weeks. 00:30:31.700 --> 00:30:33.220 I said, oh, have you ever been to Pecan Jacks? 00:30:33.220 --> 00:30:34.779 They said, no, we've never heard of Pecan Jacks. 00:30:34.779 --> 00:30:37.339 I said, that's the best ice cream in the Southeast. 00:30:37.339 --> 00:30:38.539 I said, you've got to go there. 00:30:38.539 --> 00:30:42.220 They have locations in Destin, Rosemary Beach, and Santa Rosa. 00:30:42.220 --> 00:30:43.299 Here, let me send you a link. 00:30:43.299 --> 00:30:44.140 Why? 00:30:44.140 --> 00:30:45.619 Because I love that ice cream. 00:30:45.619 --> 00:30:50.259 And you wanna share good news that you've experienced. 00:30:50.259 --> 00:30:54.799 We've got good news to share. 00:30:54.799 --> 00:30:58.299 Christian, we've got good news to share. 00:31:00.579 --> 00:31:03.900 And we've been made ambassadors. 00:31:03.900 --> 00:31:07.660 Think back with me. 00:31:07.660 --> 00:31:12.700 Think back with me to all the people in your story who shared the goodness of God with you. 00:31:12.700 --> 00:31:20.019 Think back with me to all the people that you know who lived the gospel in front of you, who spoke the gospel to you. 00:31:20.019 --> 00:31:21.700 Think back with me. 00:31:21.700 --> 00:31:26.099 And I want you to think about them passing that baton to you. 00:31:28.779 --> 00:31:35.059 And then the importance of you not only receiving it, but then passing it to somebody else. 00:31:35.059 --> 00:31:42.579 Next year, we'll have the Olympics, Summer Olympics, and you'll have world-class athletes who can run faster than I can fathom. 00:31:42.579 --> 00:31:55.500 And their speed will be, their success in that race will be dependent not simply on their speed, but on four handoffs. 00:31:55.500 --> 00:31:57.059 Sorry, three handoffs. 00:31:58.500 --> 00:32:02.539 And if that baton is not passed, it doesn't matter how fast they run. 00:32:02.539 --> 00:32:12.380 We have been handed, we have been handed the truth of the gospel by so many who came before us. 00:32:12.380 --> 00:32:28.819 Must we not be faithful as ambassadors to hand off this amazing message that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their sin against them. 00:32:28.819 --> 00:32:37.180 And he's given us the ministry and the message and the manner of being an ambassador. 00:32:37.180 --> 00:32:40.660 This ministry and message of reconciliation. 00:32:40.660 --> 00:32:44.619 We say, no, you don't have to go to hell. 00:32:44.619 --> 00:32:46.539 You don't have to spend life without Jesus. 00:32:46.539 --> 00:32:48.460 You don't have to walk through pain by yourself. 00:32:48.460 --> 00:32:49.940 Jesus will be with you in that. 00:32:49.940 --> 00:32:53.099 Jesus can forgive you and make life new. 00:32:54.900 --> 00:32:59.420 And we've got a glorious ministry and message to hand off. 00:32:59.420 --> 00:33:01.779 Let's make that pass. 00:33:01.779 --> 00:33:10.859 Let's be faithful as ambassadors as we have been called because we've got good news to share. 00:33:10.859 --> 00:33:15.539 Now, if you don't yet know Jesus, we want you to know him today. 00:33:15.539 --> 00:33:22.980 Paul says in chapter six, verse two, behold, today is the day of salvation, today. 00:33:23.819 --> 00:33:27.859 If you've not yet trusted Christ, you don't have to go to hell. 00:33:27.859 --> 00:33:36.940 God loved you so much, he sent his son to die to take your sin to give you his righteousness. 00:33:36.940 --> 00:33:37.859 Trust him today. 00:33:37.859 --> 00:33:40.180 Trust him. 00:33:40.180 --> 00:33:41.019 Let's pray together. 00:33:41.019 --> 00:33:43.900 Father, thank you for your goodness to us and for your love for us. 00:33:43.900 --> 00:33:50.819 Thank you for your word that tells us what is true and gives us everything we need for life and godliness. 00:33:50.819 --> 00:33:57.539 Lord, I pray that as believers, we would really believe the good news that you've given to us in Christ. 00:33:57.539 --> 00:34:09.900 And as ambassadors, that we would live toward the world in a way that they might hear, that they might see, that they might experience the goodness of this message. 00:34:09.900 --> 00:34:17.780 Help us be faithful to share the goodness of your message with those who so desperately need it. 00:34:17.780 --> 00:34:20.619 Lord, keep us from dropping the baton. 00:34:22.139 --> 00:34:24.900 Make us faithful ambassadors in the world. 00:34:24.900 --> 00:34:27.380 We pray this in Christ's name, amen.