Foundations of Truth
This is the podcast of Firm Foundations ministries. Our mission is to help you build your life on the unshakable foundation of God's Word, rooted in Scripture and anchored in the grace of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Each episode is designed to strengthen your faith, deepen your understanding, and encourage you to stand firm in a shifting world.
Foundations of Truth
Why Do We Share The Good News
Have you ever wondered why genuine Christians share their faith despite potential rejection or ridicule? The answer resonates throughout this powerful message: because we have been saved. Pastor Tim unpacks the profound connection between our salvation and our calling as Christ's ambassadors, revealing how the miracle of reconciliation transforms both our identity and our purpose.
Drawing from 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 and Matthew 28:18-20, Pastor Tim explains that when we trust in Christ, we become entirely new creations—not merely improved versions of ourselves. This supernatural transformation changes our desires, priorities, and direction. The phrase "in Christ" represents one of Scripture's most meaningful truths, signifying that we are accepted, justified, adopted, and secured for eternity.
But this reconciliation with God isn't just for our benefit. God doesn't just save us; He sends us. He doesn't just bless us; He commissions us as His ambassadors with the ministry of reconciliation. This divine assignment flows naturally from our gratitude for what Christ has done. We share the gospel not from a position of superiority but as one rescued sinner reaching out to another.
As Christ's ambassadors, we represent Jesus everywhere—to family, friends, coworkers, and strangers. When we speak the gospel, God speaks through us. When we share our testimony, we carry heaven's authority. The message we've been entrusted with is captured perfectly in 2 Corinthians 5:21: "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." This great exchange—Jesus taking our sin and giving us His righteousness—is the heart of the gospel.
Pastor Mann reminds us that evangelism isn't cold theology; it's a heartfelt plea. We're not trying to win arguments; we're pleading with souls. The Great Commission isn't optional or a side project—it's the core mission of every believer and every church. Your obedience to this calling might change someone's eternity.
Ready to embrace your identity as Christ's ambassador? Listen now to discover how the miracle of reconciliation can flow through you to others who desperately need to hear this life-changing message.
Welcome to Foundations of Truth, the Bible teaching ministry of Pastor Timothy Mann and Providence Church, ormond Beach, florida. Providence Church is a local assembly of followers of Jesus Christ dedicated to helping people become committed and mature followers of Jesus Christ. Now here's Pastor Timothy Mann teaching the word 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17 through 21.
Speaker 2:I'm reading this morning from the New King James version of the Bible. The Bible says, therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now, then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us. We implore you, on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God, for he made him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. We'll stop there in 2 Corinthians. Go to Matthew 28. Matthew 28. We're going to pick up in verse 18. Matthew 28 and verse 18,. The Bible says and Jesus came and spoke to them, that is to say, his disciples spoke to them, saying all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen, we'll stop there. This is god's word.
Speaker 2:Here's a loaded question. You don't have to answer back. In fact, I'd prefer you didn't, because you might give me the wrong answer. Why do christians share the gospel? Why do christians share the gospel assuming you do why do christians share the gospel? I mean, why take the risk of awkward conversations, of rejection or even a ridicule? Why take that risk? Why speak out in a world that increasingly urges, in fact even demands, us to stay silent? Why do that? I really believe the answer is simple, and it's this because we have been saved. That's the answer. Because we have been saved. So if you are a genuine Christian and what I mean by that when I say a genuine Christian, I'm talking about you have been saved by God's grace, through faith in Jesus. We've talked about it from the beginning, now, all the way through the table. If you have been saved by God's grace, through faith in Jesus, if you are a genuine Christian, we share the gospel not out of guilt, but out of gratitude, because we're thankful. We do it not to earn salvation, but because we have received it. We've received salvation as a gift from God. We don't want to win arguments. In fact, if that's your motivator, then you need to check yourself. We don't want to win arguments. We long to see others reconciled to God just as we have been.
Speaker 2:Evangelism, which is sharing the gospel, telling the good news. Evangelism isn't just a program or even a personality trait. It's the natural result of a new life in Christ. The Apostle Paul puts it this way in 2 Corinthians 5.17. He says, therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. And then in the next verses, in 18 through 20, he explains why that matters. God has reconciled us to himself through jesus, and now he has entrusted us with the message of reconciliation. So we're not just saved, we're sent. We're sent, we're not just blessed, although we are, aren't we? We're not just blessed, we are made ambassadors for Christ, the Bible. Jesus said the same thing in Matthew 28. He said go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations. And so my proposal this morning, because of the truth of God's word, is that those Christ has saved are called to be his ambassadors, joyfully sharing the gospel so others can be reconciled to God. So let's lean in today to remember what Christ has done for us and what he wants to do through us.
Speaker 2:So let's begin by looking again at 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17 and 18. We're going to see here this miracle, really, of reconciliation. Let's read it again, verse 17, look at it, it it. It says, therefore, if anyone is in christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold that's. Look, pay attention to this. All things have become new. Now all things are of god, who has reconciled us to himself through jesus christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. So before we're ever called to be Christ's ambassadors, we have to understand the miracle of what he's done in us. You can't share what you don't first possess, right, you can't share what you don't first possess. You can't invite someone into a new life unless you've experienced it yourself. And so he says this about this miracle. He says in Christ we're made new. Paul says if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, not improved, not remodeled, not just forgiven, made new.
Speaker 2:This is the miracle of regeneration, that big bible word that we've talked about already, that spiritual transformation that we experience and we explored that in a previous message in this series. When we are born again, then we receive a new start and a new heart. What happens is our desires change. Our desires change, our priorities change, our identity changes and our direction changes. And this isn't superficial, this is supernatural. The Bible says here old things have passed away. That's the old self that is ruled by sin, that is ruled by sin, that is ruled by guilt and that has separation from God. That old self is gone. And the Bible says all things have become new. That's all things in your life. All things have become new. You are now united with Christ, you are now indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God and you are now sealed with eternal hope. And so you are made new when you are saved and in Christ.
Speaker 2:It was only to say we see here in this passage that reconciliation is the work of God. He says now, all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself. So the Apostle Paul here reminds us that God did this. God did this. This wasn't our initiative, it was his. All things are of him.
Speaker 2:Reconciliation begins with God, not us, and so the word reconcile in this context. Sometimes to reconcile means to kind of balance the books. That's really not the idea here. The word reconcile in this context means to restore a broken relationship. It means to go from alienation to friendship. It means to go from enemies to children of God. What a wonderful thing.
Speaker 2:Romans, chapter 5, verse 10, says when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his son. You might say I've never been an enemy of God. God says you were. He says you were, and we didn't climb back to God. He came down to us. We were separated from him because of our sin and our rebellion, but through Jesus God brought peace. So Jesus died on the cross as the payment for our sins and he rose again from the dead to give eternal life to all who believe in him. And because of that we can be reconciled to god. And this isn't just about removing hostility, it's about restoring the relationship. Reconciliation in salvation is a work of god, and what we find out as we read this passage is that this changes everything about our identity.
Speaker 2:The Apostle Paul uses a key phrase in Christ. In fact, this is one of the most meaningful phrases in all of the New Testament. It's used over and over If you are in Christ, you are accepted by the Father, you are justified with God. By faith in Jesus, you are adopted into God's family, you are empowered by the Spirit and you are secured for eternity. And that identity fuels your mission. It fuels your mission because you're not sharing Christ as one who has it all together, because I'll tell you you don't. You may try to fake it till you make it, but God knows If nobody else knows. And if you're married, I promise you your spouse knows, they know something. You don't have it all together. You're not sharing Christ as one who has it all together, but you're sharing Christ as someone who has been made new by the grace of God. Right, and that's why evangelism again, which simply means telling the good news. That's why evangelism isn't a guilt-driven duty, it's a grace-driven privilege, because the more you remember when you really begin to think on it and you understand who you are, the more you remember what God has done for you, the more you naturally want to share with others.
Speaker 2:Your identity has been changed by salvation. It goes on to say look at this, we're not only reconciled, but we're also assigned. It says and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation. This is incredible, because the same god who reconciles us and who has reconciled us now sends us to share that reconciliation. You aren't just a recipient, you are a representative. You aren't just saved you, you are sent. God didn't reconcile you just to secure your place in heaven. He gave you a mission here on earth and he didn't assign that task to the angels. He gave it to us, the church, to every believer, everyone who has been made new by God's grace, through faith in Jesus. This is your assignment from God.
Speaker 2:Imagine a man drowning in the ocean. We're here at the ocean. Imagine that. Imagine a man drowning in the ocean Now let's put a spiritual perspective on it Pulled under by the waves of sin and guilt and shame. Then a rescuer dives in and pulls him out and revives him and saves his life. Now imagine that man being trained and sent back to assist others. The saved individual remembers what it felt like to sink. He understands the terror and now he approaches others Not with arrogance but with compassion, with understanding what that felt like. And that's really just what evangelism is. It's one rescued sinner reaching for another. One rescued sinner reaching for another. That's what the ministry of reconciliation looks like, and this is your mission. It's your mission, but first don't miss the order New life first, first then mission. New life first, then mission.
Speaker 2:I think the point this point is crucial, because god reconciles first and then he commissions. Because you are not sent because you are deserving. You're sent because you are redeemed, and I want to encourage you this way this morning. You don't have to wait until you have everything figured out, because you're never going to have everything figured out. You don't have to wait until you have everything figured out. If you're in christ, then you you've been made new and sent. You are qualified this morning for ministry because you've been changed by grace and and the world.
Speaker 2:This world needs to hear from people who have been truly transformed, not by religion but by real salvation from god, not with pride and self-righteousness, but with humility and gratitude for the grace of God towards you. So this morning, remember what God has done for you, remember that you are a new creation, and so let your testimony overflow as you share the gospel. Don't keep the good news to yourself. You don't need to wait until you're a theologian or a Bible expert to share with others. You've been reconciled to God, and so tell others what Christ has done in your life. But listen, if you are not saved and you're sitting in this room, I mean if you are not genuinely, truly a follower of Jesus I want you to know this morning that God is not waiting for you to climb up to Him. He has come to you through Jesus. He has come through His death on the cross for your sins and His resurrection from the dead so that you can have eternal life from God. And today you can be reconciled, you can be made new, you can be made whole. You can be made His if you will repent. Made whole, you can be made His if you will repent of your sin and savingly believe on Jesus. Do that, do it now. Do it now.
Speaker 2:Well, so far we've seen the miracle of reconciliation, how God makes us new and restores our relationship with him. But this miracle isn't just personal, it's missional, because we see the message here now that we're to proclaim, not just the miracle of reconciliation. We see that we see the gospel of reconciliation, this message god doesn't just save us, he gives us a message to take, to proclaim. Let's read 2nd Corinthians 5, 19 through 21, 19 through 21. That is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not imputing that is to say putting to their account, crediting, not imputing their trespasses to them and is committed to us. Now the word of reconciliation. Now, then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us. We implore you, on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God, for he made Him meaning God the Father, made Him God the Son, who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. This is the message. The message is that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. The gospel is not about how we find our way to God, but how God came to us in Christ. That's the gospel. God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. If you don't know this morning for sure who Jesus is, you need to know that he wasn't just a good man, he wasn't just a wise teacher. He was God in human flesh, sent to reconcile sinners to himself, and so that means that the gospel is God-centered from start to finish. God sent, god pursued, god reconciled, god saves.
Speaker 2:Evangelism, or sharing the gospel, as we would say, evangelism isn't about promoting a religious option. It's about proclaiming the only way to be reconciled to God, and that's through Jesus Christ. And this is the message. And so is this that God does not count our sin against us. It says not imputing their trespasses to them. This is the core of the good news, this is the core of the gospel.
Speaker 2:God doesn't ignore our sin, he doesn't just dismiss it. What he does in the gospel is he takes it away. He doesn't pretend we're innocent, we're guilty, you're guilty. So he doesn't turn a blind eye and pretend that you're innocent. Instead, what he does is he declares us righteous when we trust in Jesus because Jesus paid our debt that we owe God because of our sin. That's justification by faith. And when that happens, god no longer counts our sin against us when we believe on Christ, because Christ took it for us.
Speaker 2:The Bible says in Psalm 103, 12,. It says as far as the east is from the west, do west, do east and west ever meet? North and south? You go. You go north long enough, sooner or later. What You're going to be going south, you're going to go south long enough. Sooner or later you're going to be going north, unless you're one of those wacky people that believes in flat earth. I'm just saying that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. If that's you. I'm sorry it hurts your feelings, but that's a dumb idea. The Bible says otherwise. You head north, sooner or later you're going to be heading south. But if you head east, are you ever going to head west? Nope, you're always going to be heading east. If you head west, are you ever going to head east? No, you're going to always be heading west.
Speaker 2:Now, janet might. She's directionally challenged, I don't know. You can ask her about her story later. Right, I'm grateful this morning that the Bible says that as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed my transgressions from me. Yeah, yeah, and we declare this message. And the message is you don't need to carry your guilt. Your sins can be forgiven, your record can be erased. God is not counting your sin against you.
Speaker 2:If you are in fact in christ, if you are saved, what else does the bible say? The bible says here that we have been entrusted with the message and committed to us the word of reconciliation. This is an amazing truth that God has entrusted us with this saving message. He didn't write it in the clouds, he didn't give it to the angels, he didn't send it through the angels. No, he gave it to redeemed people. Sinners turned saints, which, by the way, does not mean perfect. It's actually what God calls His children. Every Christian is a saint, and he gave it to us to proclaim it to the world. And this, the word of reconciliation, is the gospel. It's this. Christ died for our sins, he was buried, he rose again, and everyone who repents and believes will be reconciled to god. That's the message, and it's a message that we must know, and it's a message that we must love and it's a message that we must proclaim. Why? Well, because we're ambassadors for christ. Look what it says. Now, then, we are ambassadors for christ, as though god were pleading through us. An ambassador speaks on behalf of the one who sent him, a king, a president. An ambassador speaks on behalf of their country, their kingdom. They don't deliver their message. They deliver the king's message and, as christians, we're not just witnesses, although it's part of it. We are representatives. We're ambassadors, we're representatives. So you know what that means.
Speaker 2:Don't you think about it personally? Here you, you are representing Jesus to your family. How's that going? You're representing Jesus to your friends. You're representing Jesus to your co-workers. You're representing Jesus to your fellow students at school. You're representing Jesus to your children, to your grandchildren, to random people you meet, you are representing Jesus. When you walk out that door and you carry the name Christian, you're representing Jesus, not yourself, not even this church. First and foremost, you're representing Jesus. How'd that go this past week? How'd it go yesterday? Maybe some of y'all need to answer the truth and say how'd it go this morning? Even You're representing Jesus to your wife. You're representing Jesus to your husband. You're representing Jesus to fellow church members. You're representing Jesus to the cashier at Walmart or, if you're lucky enough to get one of those people now, these days, you're representing christ as an ambassador of him, every single place you go.
Speaker 2:If you say you're a christian, don't carry his name in vain, don't use the Lord's name in vain, and when we speak on behalf of Christ, the Savior, the Lord, the Messiah, we're speaking on his behalf to a world that desperately needs to hear him. When we actually speak, the gospel, god is speaking through us. When we share our testimony, we carry heaven's authority. When we plead with someone to believe, christ's heart pleads through us, and that should give us both confidence and it should give us urgency. You are an ambassador for Jesus, the King of kings. How are you representing? What do we do? Look at the Bible. We plead Be reconciled to God. He says we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. I want you to hear me well.
Speaker 2:Evangelism isn't just cold theology. In fact, it should never be that. It should never be cold theology. Instead, it's a heartfelt plea.
Speaker 2:The Apostle Paul didn't say we suggest you study the doctrines. No, he said we implore you on Christ's behalf. We implore you, we beg, we urge, we plead. He didn't say we want to teach you the mystery of the sovereignty of God in salvation. No, he said be reconciled to God, be reconciled to God. He calls on them to do something. Be reconciled to God. Why? Why would he say be reconciled to God? Because eternity is on the line, because hell exists, because people are dying without Christ, because every single person's most crucial need is to be reconciled with their Creator. That's your mother, that's your father, that's your grandkids, that's everybody you come across in the path of your life. And this isn't manipulation. When you you say be reconciled to christ, be reconciled to god, that's not manipulation, it's compassion. We're not trying to win arguments or or teach systematic theology. We're pleading with souls. We're calling on them to respond to god. You're calling for the verdict. Let me tell you this if you share the gospel with somebody and you never tell them what they should do in response to it, that's an incomplete witness.
Speaker 2:Then we say look at the last verse. I want to get to Matthew 28 for a minute. Look at verse 21. This is the gospel in one sentence. For he made him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him, verse 21. For he made him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. This is, I think, one of the clearest summaries of the gospel in the entire Bible. He made him God the Father Bible. He made Him God. The Father sent God the Son, who knew no sin. Jesus was perfectly holy and sinless in every way To be sin for us. He became our substitute, bearing our guilt on the cross, that we might become the righteousness of God. He took our sin and we receive His righteousness.
Speaker 2:This is the great exchange and it is the foundation of our message. This is the message that we deliver Not behavior improvement, not religious rules, not moral effort, but reconciliation through Jesus Christ. So remember the message this morning. Remember the message. You've been entrusted with the gospel. If you're saved, if you're in christ, understand it, speak it confidently, share it courageously. Your obedience might change someone's eternity. You might not know all the theology yet, but you know Jesus, so share what he's done for you. You're already an ambassador. And again, look, if you're still an unbeliever, you're still lost, you're still not saved, then this message is for you. God is not counting your sins against you if you trust christ. If you trust christ, be reconciled to god. So we've witnessed the miracle of reconciliation. We've we've discovered the message that we've been given to share.
Speaker 2:Now I want us to turn to the final part of our calling, and that's the mission that we're to embrace matthew 28, because this isn't just for pastors, this isn't just for missionaries, this isn't just for evangelists. And the great commission isn't optional. It's not. It's not the great suggestion and the Great Commission isn't optional. It's not the Great Suggestion. It's not optional. It's not a side project for the church. In fact, it's the heart of Christ's plan for the world. In fact it's the mission. If any entity that calls itself a church names the name of Jesus and takes on anything else as its primary mission, then it's not behaving as a biblical church, but the primary ministry, the mission of you and us and the church is this mission. It's the mission.
Speaker 1:The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of God stands forever. That's Isaiah 48. Thanks for tuning into the Foundations of Truth podcast with Pastor Timothy Mann from Providence Church in Ormond Beach, Florida. Join us next time and until then, keep building your life on God's eternal truth, the Bible.
