WEBVTT 00:00:05.120 --> 00:00:12.560 But I'll tell y'all the the weight of this message and the heaviness of this morning I've decided not to open with that. 00:00:13.439 --> 00:00:20.160 If you're wondering why Russ sitting up here preaching, it's because he lost his mom late Friday night. 00:00:21.359 --> 00:00:33.759 And as I was driving to the hospital to sit with them and cry with them, which I did both of those very well, if I might add, I just had this idea. 00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:36.159 Maybe I should offer to preach for them. 00:00:36.719 --> 00:00:39.759 And then, you know, I kept telling myself, no, don't do it, don't do it. 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:47.600 And when I got there, what's the first thing I said after I'm sorry, I'm sorry, and hugged and cried was, hey, if you need somebody to preach, and he went, Oh, thank you. 00:00:48.320 --> 00:00:50.640 He wasn't supposed to accept that, you know. 00:00:52.320 --> 00:00:56.000 But I I have to give Nathan all the credit here. 00:00:56.159 --> 00:01:03.039 He he wrote the message, and I just changed a couple of things to fit me because I'm not Nathan. 00:01:03.600 --> 00:01:06.959 Um but thank y'all for being here this morning. 00:01:07.120 --> 00:01:13.280 I want to open in a word of prayer, and then we'll probably pray again a couple more times as we go through this thing, okay? 00:01:13.599 --> 00:01:18.319 But I just feel really heavy burden for Russ and his family. 00:01:18.640 --> 00:01:20.239 Listen, they're rejoicing. 00:01:20.319 --> 00:01:25.599 He told more jokes sitting in the emergency room and in the waiting room than I've ever heard him tell at any one sitting. 00:01:25.680 --> 00:01:31.840 So he's he's at peace with this, but it's, you know, grief is a is a heavy thing sometimes. 00:01:32.079 --> 00:01:35.120 So I just want to pray for God to give peace to their family. 00:01:35.280 --> 00:01:37.519 I think they're going to meet with a funeral home today. 00:01:37.680 --> 00:01:41.760 And you know, that that can be a heavy moment. 00:01:41.920 --> 00:01:44.799 So, Lord, thank you for the opportunity to share your word. 00:01:45.040 --> 00:01:51.439 Thank you for the message that you've given to Nathan and allowed me to share with our Walnut Grove congregation. 00:01:51.599 --> 00:01:58.079 I'm so thankful for Russ and Jill and their family for BB and her example in the life that she lived. 00:01:58.400 --> 00:02:12.800 God, I pray that as we hear your word exposed today and as we think of what you're trying to teach us through this, may we discover something in our life that can be changed to better honor you and to glorify you. 00:02:12.960 --> 00:02:17.759 And that is my heart, Father, this morning, that the words that are spoken today honor you and glorify you. 00:02:17.919 --> 00:02:19.759 We ask all these things in Jesus' name. 00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:20.639 Amen. 00:02:21.039 --> 00:02:25.919 Now, this is usually the point where Russ says, Hey, I'm Russ, and if I haven't met you in the lobby, well, I'm Pat. 00:02:26.000 --> 00:02:30.719 And if I didn't meet you in the lobby, it's probably because they were in here trying to teach me how to put this thing on. 00:02:30.879 --> 00:02:32.639 Um, but thank you for coming. 00:02:32.879 --> 00:02:35.840 I hope I'll get a chance to speak to you afterward. 00:02:36.080 --> 00:02:37.439 Isn't that what he usually says? 00:02:37.520 --> 00:02:38.000 I think so. 00:02:38.080 --> 00:02:38.560 Yeah. 00:02:38.719 --> 00:02:41.439 Um, if you're watching online, thanks. 00:02:41.919 --> 00:02:45.520 We hope you'll walk away from this message changed. 00:02:45.759 --> 00:02:50.240 You ever wondered what is your purpose in life? 00:02:51.439 --> 00:02:54.560 This is something I've I've thought through for decades now. 00:02:54.639 --> 00:02:55.680 What is my purpose? 00:02:55.919 --> 00:03:03.039 And as I've walked through different stages of my life trying to figure out why God put me on this earth, made me wonder: is anybody else doing that? 00:03:03.439 --> 00:03:04.400 Yes, no? 00:03:05.120 --> 00:03:07.360 Yes, okay, at least four or five yeses. 00:03:07.520 --> 00:03:13.120 Now listen, when I was younger, which seems like a long time ago, I worked several different jobs. 00:03:13.199 --> 00:03:15.280 I even stayed at some of them for a long time. 00:03:15.439 --> 00:03:23.360 If you ever wandered into the Snellville or Centerville Post Office in the 14 years I was up there, you probably bumped into me. 00:03:23.520 --> 00:03:24.240 But you know what? 00:03:24.319 --> 00:03:39.039 Whether it was there or working at Blue Cross Blue Shield, which I did down in Florida, or working construction or whatever, I was never really completely satisfied and fulfilled doing any of them, even though I liked them and tried to do them to the best of my ability. 00:03:39.520 --> 00:03:53.280 Once I accepted God's offer of forgiveness for my sins as presented to me by someone who told me I was not a Christian, I started following the example of Jesus. 00:03:53.520 --> 00:03:58.560 And when I did that, I began to ask myself, what am I created for? 00:03:59.039 --> 00:04:01.520 What am I supposed to do in this life? 00:04:01.759 --> 00:04:13.680 Now I did not find an opportunity to serve on staff at a church until 2009 when Church at the Grove called and sent me and my family to Romania to be missionaries. 00:04:13.840 --> 00:04:17.279 And that's when I began to discover my purpose. 00:04:17.519 --> 00:04:24.079 I knew from the minute we stepped foot in Romania this was what God created me for. 00:04:24.319 --> 00:04:26.480 It was to talk about him, to share him. 00:04:26.720 --> 00:04:32.800 I tried to always do that as I worked other jobs, but man, this was life-changing. 00:04:33.040 --> 00:04:42.639 Now it's been well over a decade, and uh when you've been in ministry for that long, you kind of get the chance to walk through various stages of life with different people. 00:04:43.199 --> 00:04:48.480 I've been with families who said goodbye to their loved ones in the last few weeks. 00:04:48.560 --> 00:04:57.279 I've been at the hospital twice when someone's from our church's mom has passed away, and it never gets easy. 00:04:57.600 --> 00:05:00.000 I've officiated a few weddings. 00:05:00.240 --> 00:05:03.120 I've visited people in the hospital, the rehab center. 00:05:03.199 --> 00:05:07.040 I've I go weekly to the assisted living facility with my friend David over here. 00:05:07.120 --> 00:05:14.079 We go to visit Lynn Martin, who, if you don't know Lynn, he's 94 years old, and he's the oldest member of our church. 00:05:14.399 --> 00:05:21.680 He asked me last year if I would come to him and do a membership gathering for him and his wife. 00:05:21.920 --> 00:05:23.920 Which I said, sure. 00:05:24.160 --> 00:05:32.879 So I went over to Maryvale Assisted Living Facility, and 94-year-old Lynn and 89-year-old Joanne became the oldest Covenant family members of Church at the Grove. 00:05:33.120 --> 00:05:34.639 That was an awesome moment. 00:05:36.560 --> 00:05:51.920 I've counseled with individuals, prayed with couples, watched kids that I once had the privilege of leading in student ministry grow up, get married, and have families of their own, in addition to watching my own children do that. 00:05:52.160 --> 00:06:00.079 One of the greatest gifts of ministry is having a front row seat, which by the way, there's nobody in the front row, but thanks, y'all. 00:06:01.120 --> 00:06:07.519 It's having a front row seat into the life and the change that happens around me. 00:06:07.759 --> 00:06:15.680 It's also a privilege to see God's people step into the calling that He has given them on their life. 00:06:15.920 --> 00:06:24.000 I've been talking with a couple of guys in our Tuesday Night Men's Bible study group about, and by the way, that was a plug for the Tuesday Night Men's Bible study group. 00:06:24.079 --> 00:06:30.160 If you're a guy and you're not involved in a group with your wife, then ask me about the Tuesday Night Men's Bible study group. 00:06:30.959 --> 00:06:31.600 Amen. 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:33.120 Any other amens? 00:06:34.319 --> 00:06:37.920 Yeah, okay, so there's four guys in here that come to that group. 00:06:38.000 --> 00:06:39.759 I was expecting at least four amens. 00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:43.839 Uh anyway, I've been talking with them about what to do with the rest of their lives. 00:06:44.160 --> 00:06:47.839 Some of us feel like we don't really have a purpose anymore. 00:06:47.920 --> 00:06:49.519 That's what a few of the guys have told me. 00:06:49.600 --> 00:06:57.199 Um, they're older than me, and I'm 65, so they're feeling like, hey, we've done our time, we've served our purpose, now we're just coasting. 00:06:58.000 --> 00:07:00.800 I guess that's their way of saying we've stepped into retirement. 00:07:00.959 --> 00:07:03.680 But listen, retirement doesn't mean retirement from life. 00:07:03.839 --> 00:07:06.079 It means retirement from work, right? 00:07:06.399 --> 00:07:09.279 It doesn't mean retirement from being on mission. 00:07:09.439 --> 00:07:12.240 It just means I'm no longer going to my job site. 00:07:12.480 --> 00:07:15.279 I try to reassure them this is a common feeling. 00:07:15.600 --> 00:07:22.480 But it's not just a retirement thing, it's also something that people struggle with earlier in life, like I did. 00:07:22.720 --> 00:07:32.959 It's not always about our occupation, it points to a deeper question, and that is this: what is my purpose? 00:07:33.199 --> 00:07:35.120 That's what we're going to talk about today. 00:07:35.360 --> 00:07:36.480 Maybe you can relate. 00:07:36.560 --> 00:07:41.040 Maybe you're in a season of life where you're asking this question, what am I supposed to be doing with my life? 00:07:41.360 --> 00:07:48.000 Not just talking again about career choices, that's part of it, but we're talking about the core question of purpose. 00:07:48.399 --> 00:07:52.079 People will jump from job to job trying to find fulfillment. 00:07:52.240 --> 00:08:00.399 Some will go from relationship to relationship, looking for something that'll make them whole, trying to find the person that will complete them. 00:08:00.560 --> 00:08:08.800 But the truth is, our purpose isn't something that we have to search for in a place or in another person. 00:08:09.279 --> 00:08:14.079 Our purpose is something that we've been given by God as a gift. 00:08:15.120 --> 00:08:18.399 And you have to sometimes search for it. 00:08:18.879 --> 00:08:23.040 It isn't a future destination, it's a present assignment. 00:08:23.360 --> 00:08:25.199 Something we're called to do now. 00:08:25.360 --> 00:08:27.839 It's not a title, it's not a job description. 00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:36.639 It's about living a life as a reconciler, a peacemaker, a reflection of Jesus in every facet of your life. 00:08:36.799 --> 00:08:39.759 One of our group leaders told me this last year. 00:08:40.080 --> 00:08:45.600 As we were talking about discipleship and making disciples, they said, Well, I'm not really a disciple maker. 00:08:45.759 --> 00:08:47.600 And I said, Oh, yes, you are. 00:08:47.840 --> 00:08:51.039 They went, well, well, no, I'm not. 00:08:52.000 --> 00:08:52.720 I don't lead. 00:08:53.039 --> 00:08:54.159 I said, Oh, yes, you do. 00:08:54.320 --> 00:09:01.440 You've got two grown children that you've shown how to follow Jesus, and as adults, they are following him with all their heart. 00:09:01.840 --> 00:09:05.919 You're inviting people into your home every week when you have your group. 00:09:06.240 --> 00:09:16.080 You include some of the people in your group on your vacation efforts, in your recreational outings, and in various service opportunities, both here in the church and out in the community. 00:09:16.399 --> 00:09:18.240 That is discipleship. 00:09:19.600 --> 00:09:24.559 It's allowing someone else to come into your life and see how you live. 00:09:25.039 --> 00:09:28.480 To know that this is what a follower of Jesus looks like. 00:09:28.720 --> 00:09:37.919 This is how we handle tragedy, this is how we handle conflict, this is how we handle the mundane everyday aspects of life. 00:09:40.399 --> 00:09:48.639 So they're able to observe what following the way of Jesus looks like in the life of a true believer. 00:09:49.440 --> 00:09:51.840 So that's what this series is all about today. 00:09:52.080 --> 00:09:55.519 This is how we're wrapping up the Resurrected Life series. 00:09:55.679 --> 00:10:05.840 I don't know about you, but this series has been so good for my soul, but yet it's been a challenge for me to live every day the way that Jesus is calling me to live. 00:10:06.080 --> 00:10:10.159 Let me give you a brief recap just because I believe this is what Russ would do if he were here. 00:10:10.320 --> 00:10:12.720 He would say, okay, week one, victory over death. 00:10:12.879 --> 00:10:23.120 That was Easter Sunday, and Russ taught us that the resurrection isn't just about Jesus walking out of the tomb, it's about all of us walking into real life. 00:10:23.759 --> 00:10:34.000 The resurrection wasn't just an event that took place a couple thousand years ago, it's an ongoing, present event that's still changing the world as it changes us. 00:10:34.320 --> 00:10:47.519 Week two was victory over lies, and Russ said that if we're ever going to live the abundant life that Jesus offers, then we must be able to defend against Satan's attack and combat his lies with God's truth. 00:10:47.759 --> 00:10:57.759 Satan comes with a voice of accusation, but Jesus comes as our advocate with words of encouragement and hope and life. 00:10:58.480 --> 00:11:00.799 Week three was victory over shame. 00:11:00.879 --> 00:11:08.399 The enemy will try to get us to believe an identity that is radically different from what the Lord says, but we're not to believe it. 00:11:08.879 --> 00:11:15.360 You remember we had some name tags and we wrote down what shame was telling us we were, and then we exchanged them. 00:11:15.600 --> 00:11:25.840 The enemy will tell you that you aren't good enough, you can't be forgiven for that thing, that God's love doesn't apply in this situation, and God says the exact opposite. 00:11:26.159 --> 00:11:29.279 He says you are unconditionally loved. 00:11:29.519 --> 00:11:39.519 You're 100% forgiven, and you are actually chosen by him to be adopted into his family as sons and daughters of the Most High King. 00:11:39.679 --> 00:11:42.080 That ought to get a hallelujah, shouldn't it? 00:11:42.399 --> 00:11:43.039 Amen. 00:11:43.279 --> 00:11:45.440 Week four was victory over relationships. 00:11:45.519 --> 00:11:50.799 And Russ preached this last week on Mother's Day, and he shared how his mom modeled this, didn't he? 00:11:51.039 --> 00:12:00.960 We talked about how we can experience the abundant life that Jesus offers, and we'll have victory in our relationships if we practice forgiveness. 00:12:01.360 --> 00:12:06.480 He told us that his mom modeled forgiveness for him and his brothers. 00:12:06.720 --> 00:12:13.200 We don't excuse the behavior of others, but instead we forgive them as the Lord has forgiven us. 00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:23.840 Today we're gonna wrap up this series and we're gonna look at how the resurrection power doesn't just redeem your past, but it releases you into your purpose. 00:12:24.080 --> 00:12:32.480 Because the ultimate goal of the Christian life isn't just for us to be forgiven, it's for us to be sent and to share the message of forgiveness. 00:12:32.720 --> 00:12:38.799 Here's the big idea resurrection power doesn't just redeem your past, it releases you into your present. 00:12:38.960 --> 00:12:41.039 So pray again with me, will you? 00:12:41.360 --> 00:12:43.440 Come, Holy Spirit, come. 00:12:44.159 --> 00:12:46.879 Release each one of us into our calling. 00:12:47.120 --> 00:12:49.120 Help us to find our purpose. 00:12:49.360 --> 00:12:54.799 Father, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight. 00:12:55.039 --> 00:12:57.279 O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. 00:12:57.519 --> 00:13:02.879 We ask for your presence to bring peace and comfort to Russ and his family as they gather together today. 00:13:03.440 --> 00:13:15.519 Fill the void left in their hearts with the passing of his mom by granting them the assurance of a reunion with her someday in heaven and sweet memories of her love for them and for you while they're still here on this earth, Jesus. 00:13:15.759 --> 00:13:17.919 I pray these things according to your will. 00:13:18.159 --> 00:13:18.799 Amen. 00:13:19.440 --> 00:13:26.399 So if you would, if you brought a Bible or you have your phone and you're looking at this on your on your phone, turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 5. 00:13:26.559 --> 00:13:31.679 Paul's writing to the church in Corinth, this just happens to be the book that our men's group is studying through. 00:13:31.840 --> 00:13:44.559 And at the beginning of chapter 5, he gives the Corinthians confidence about life after death by saying, So whether we're here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. 00:13:45.440 --> 00:13:46.720 That's in verse 9. 00:13:46.879 --> 00:13:49.919 Paul's sharing that his whole mission in life is to please Christ. 00:13:50.080 --> 00:13:56.080 But let's look a little further down in the chapter as we go to verses 14 and 15, and I'll be reading from the New Living Translation. 00:13:56.399 --> 00:13:58.480 Christ's love controls us. 00:13:58.720 --> 00:14:04.000 Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. 00:14:04.320 --> 00:14:15.039 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves, instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. 00:14:15.200 --> 00:14:16.960 And that means for us. 00:14:17.440 --> 00:14:18.720 I love verse 14. 00:14:18.799 --> 00:14:22.159 It says, Christ's love controls us. 00:14:23.120 --> 00:14:26.960 Another translation says, for the love of Christ compels us. 00:14:27.200 --> 00:14:29.279 I might even like that better. 00:14:30.399 --> 00:14:35.279 This is the foundation for where we find our purpose in life. 00:14:35.440 --> 00:14:38.000 It's the why behind our purpose. 00:14:38.240 --> 00:14:43.120 It isn't about self-promotion or self-discovery, it's about self-surrender. 00:14:43.919 --> 00:14:50.720 If we ever walk in purpose, we have to know and be compelled by Christ's love. 00:14:50.879 --> 00:14:54.000 We must allow his love to control us. 00:14:54.399 --> 00:14:56.879 So how are we compelled by Christ's love? 00:14:57.039 --> 00:14:59.840 Well, this is what we do as followers of Jesus. 00:15:00.080 --> 00:15:06.399 What motivates us to forgive, to serve, to share the gospel, to live differently. 00:15:06.559 --> 00:15:09.360 It's Christ's love that compels us. 00:15:09.600 --> 00:15:14.159 I am so thankful for those of you that volunteer to be part of our first impressions team. 00:15:14.399 --> 00:15:27.200 You guys set the stage every Sunday morning as people come onto our campus, whether they're first-time guests or longtime members, you welcome them into the family and prepare their hearts for worshiping. 00:15:28.080 --> 00:15:43.679 When we wake up to the beauty of the gospel message, that Jesus came and died, the death that we deserve, so that we can experience the life that he offers, it changes everything inside of us. 00:15:44.639 --> 00:15:47.679 Paul uses a powerful word here in compels. 00:15:48.000 --> 00:15:54.879 It comes from the Greek suneko, and it means to grip tightly, to press together, or to hold fast. 00:15:55.360 --> 00:15:59.679 This isn't a passive love, and it's not a worn, fuzzy feeling or emotion. 00:15:59.840 --> 00:16:04.720 It's a force that grips you, holds you, and then moves you to action. 00:16:04.960 --> 00:16:13.200 It's a love that doesn't just inspire you to be a better person, it's a love that propels you toward a mission. 00:16:14.399 --> 00:16:15.679 I grew up near the St. 00:16:15.840 --> 00:16:19.360 John's River in Jacksonville, Florida, just a few houses away. 00:16:19.600 --> 00:16:29.919 My siblings and I, throughout the course of our childhood, spent a lot of time down at the river fishing with cane poles, even jumping over the seawall and walking on the rocks when it was low tide. 00:16:30.080 --> 00:16:38.639 We thought it was perfectly safe, except for that time when a hurricane came ashore in Jacksonville, Florida, and the St. 00:16:38.799 --> 00:16:43.039 John's River did not want to be contained by the seawalls any longer. 00:16:43.279 --> 00:16:44.720 I can remember us standing there. 00:16:44.879 --> 00:16:51.759 Now I'm a little tight, I haven't even gone to school yet, and I'm just standing there watching these waves come over the wall. 00:16:52.159 --> 00:17:00.399 And my siblings are with me, and we're all just going, wow, and then all of a sudden we notice it's not just stopping, you know, for three or four houses away. 00:17:00.559 --> 00:17:01.600 It's coming toward us. 00:17:01.679 --> 00:17:02.720 So we run inside. 00:17:02.879 --> 00:17:03.759 We're scared. 00:17:04.079 --> 00:17:07.359 Mama, mama, daddy help us, what's going on? 00:17:08.000 --> 00:17:10.559 The river is coming over the wall. 00:17:10.880 --> 00:17:13.680 They said, Yeah, thank God we live up off the ground. 00:17:13.839 --> 00:17:18.400 You know, we had a house that was elevated and uh it flooded our street. 00:17:18.640 --> 00:17:27.279 Eventually we had to be rescued by the National Guard, and we spent several days in a shelter until the waters receded and we were able to return to our home. 00:17:28.079 --> 00:17:41.039 The force of that river saying, I can no longer be contained is the same force that drives the compelling love of Christ that we're talking about this morning. 00:17:42.079 --> 00:17:44.640 It can almost be dangerous, can't it? 00:17:45.039 --> 00:17:50.799 It's not a lazy, slow-moving river that we can stand in and walk on the rocks. 00:17:51.039 --> 00:18:00.720 It's a current, an angry, forceful current that moves you, compels you, and takes you places you'd never imagined like Romania. 00:18:01.920 --> 00:18:02.720 Just say it. 00:18:02.799 --> 00:18:04.319 It's what it did for me. 00:18:04.720 --> 00:18:05.680 It's the current. 00:18:05.839 --> 00:18:14.640 Christ's love is the current that moves us forward, even when we're scared and uncertain, because I was both of those things before we left. 00:18:15.039 --> 00:18:18.240 And if I'm honest, even a little bit after we got there. 00:18:18.880 --> 00:18:21.119 Paul is anchored in the love of Christ. 00:18:21.279 --> 00:18:24.240 It's the foundation of everything that he says and does. 00:18:24.559 --> 00:18:30.000 Christ's love is what directs his steps and leads him on his missionary journeys. 00:18:30.160 --> 00:18:34.160 When he faces trial after trial, he doesn't stop, he keeps going. 00:18:34.480 --> 00:18:40.960 Because it's the love of Christ that compels him to live for a purpose that's bigger than himself. 00:18:41.519 --> 00:18:52.240 We experienced some trials along our missionary journey in Romania, but it was God who led us and directed us for his good pleasure and eventually brought us back. 00:18:52.480 --> 00:18:59.680 If we're ever going to understand our purpose, we must understand that we don't live for Christ to earn his love. 00:19:01.599 --> 00:19:06.480 We live for Christ because we are convinced of his love. 00:19:06.960 --> 00:19:14.640 We are motivated by the cross, not by fear, not by guilt, not by obligation, not by parental command. 00:19:15.359 --> 00:19:22.880 I believe that so often the people of God fail to live with purpose and fail to live on mission for the Lord because they're not convinced of the love of God. 00:19:23.359 --> 00:19:30.960 Again, this is why we must be confident in our identity in Christ and the love that He has lavished upon us. 00:19:31.839 --> 00:19:39.039 When I lost my job in the construction industry after having departed from the post office, I just got sick of it. 00:19:39.279 --> 00:19:42.079 I'm gonna tell you, I was uncertain. 00:19:42.400 --> 00:19:46.000 I knew God loved me, but it sure didn't feel like it at that moment. 00:19:47.279 --> 00:19:53.039 Little did I know that that was part of the process for him bringing me here this morning? 00:19:54.559 --> 00:19:56.480 Isn't that incredible? 00:19:57.359 --> 00:20:02.079 That started in 2008 to get me to here this morning. 00:20:04.960 --> 00:20:07.519 Is Christ's love just a concept to you? 00:20:07.839 --> 00:20:10.319 Or is it a compelling force? 00:20:10.559 --> 00:20:12.559 That's a question we have to ask ourselves. 00:20:12.720 --> 00:20:16.480 How does the reality that Christ died for you impact the way you live for him? 00:20:16.799 --> 00:20:21.039 Are you living for yourself or are you living for the one who died for you? 00:20:21.279 --> 00:20:24.240 The love of Christ should compel us. 00:20:24.400 --> 00:20:31.440 His love is our motivation, but it doesn't stop there as Paul moves from motivation to mission. 00:20:33.519 --> 00:20:37.680 We are a new creation in him, and he has given us a new identity. 00:20:37.920 --> 00:20:43.759 So let's look at 2 Corinthians 5 now, verses 16 and 17, again from the New Living Translation. 00:20:43.839 --> 00:20:46.799 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. 00:20:47.039 --> 00:20:53.519 At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view, but how differently we know him now. 00:20:53.759 --> 00:20:57.920 That means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. 00:20:58.319 --> 00:21:01.599 The old is gone and a new life has begun. 00:21:01.839 --> 00:21:06.240 We spent the last few weeks talking about what it means to be a new creation in Christ. 00:21:06.400 --> 00:21:14.559 We've said that our past no longer defines us, that shame no longer controls us, and the lies of the enemy no longer have any power over us. 00:21:14.720 --> 00:21:15.920 But here's the next step. 00:21:16.160 --> 00:21:22.319 If you are a new creation, you also have a new mission. 00:21:22.799 --> 00:21:28.240 If the old you is dead and gone, then the old way of living is dead and gone. 00:21:29.039 --> 00:21:30.720 At least it should be. 00:21:31.359 --> 00:21:39.680 This means if you're a new creation, then your purpose has to reflect your new identity. 00:21:39.920 --> 00:21:44.960 You're not just a receiver of grace, you're a carrier of grace. 00:21:45.440 --> 00:21:49.440 Verse 16 says that as new creations, we now have a new mindset. 00:21:49.680 --> 00:21:53.119 We stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. 00:21:53.359 --> 00:21:59.279 So if you're a new creation, you don't just see yourself differently, you see others differently. 00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:05.839 You don't see them as enemies, as competition, as obstacles, or as lost causes. 00:22:06.799 --> 00:22:12.160 You see them as God's creation, as people that Christ died for. 00:22:12.480 --> 00:22:15.839 People who are potential brothers and sisters in Christ. 00:22:16.079 --> 00:22:20.799 You see somebody and you go, that guy's he's a lost cause. 00:22:20.880 --> 00:22:21.839 He's beyond hope. 00:22:22.160 --> 00:22:25.119 I see God's most beautiful creation. 00:22:26.400 --> 00:22:29.119 Jesus died for that person. 00:22:30.079 --> 00:22:35.920 So Christ's love compels us, and as new creations, we should see ourselves and others differently. 00:22:36.160 --> 00:22:40.480 But what is the actual mission itself and how do we do it? 00:22:40.720 --> 00:22:47.680 If we'll look at verses 18 through 20, all of this is a gift from God who brought us back to himself through Christ. 00:22:47.839 --> 00:22:51.839 And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 00:22:53.200 --> 00:23:00.960 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. 00:23:01.440 --> 00:23:05.119 And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 00:23:05.440 --> 00:23:08.079 So we are Christ's ambassadors. 00:23:08.400 --> 00:23:11.039 God is making his appeal through us. 00:23:11.359 --> 00:23:14.640 We speak for Christ when we plead, come back to God. 00:23:15.200 --> 00:23:19.039 He's given us a ministry of reconciliation. 00:23:19.279 --> 00:23:21.279 So what is reconciliation? 00:23:22.240 --> 00:23:24.160 It is a powerful word. 00:23:24.480 --> 00:23:32.000 It means to restore or reconcile a relationship, to bring back together that which has been broken. 00:23:32.160 --> 00:23:34.480 And that's what God has done for us in Christ. 00:23:34.640 --> 00:23:41.759 You see, God took the initiative, He made the first move, He showed us what this is supposed to look like. 00:23:42.079 --> 00:23:45.039 God pursued us while we were still sinners. 00:23:45.359 --> 00:23:45.759 Right? 00:23:45.920 --> 00:23:47.599 Anyone in here know Romans 5.8? 00:23:47.759 --> 00:23:49.440 Miss Joy, I know you do. 00:23:50.240 --> 00:23:55.839 By this we know that God loved us and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 00:23:56.160 --> 00:23:58.559 That's how we know God loved us first. 00:23:59.119 --> 00:24:05.279 This isn't just forgetting the offense, it is restoring the relationship based on God's unconditional love. 00:24:05.599 --> 00:24:10.400 God has given us this task of reconciling people to Him. 00:24:10.720 --> 00:24:15.839 So let's just think about that for a minute and allow that purpose to enter our hearts. 00:24:17.200 --> 00:24:35.680 The creator of the world, the one who brought all things into existence by speaking, whose own creation rebelled against him, so loved his creation that he sent his one and only son to die for their sins in order to reconcile them to himself for all of eternity. 00:24:35.920 --> 00:24:39.440 That's the truth that Bibi is living in right now. 00:24:39.759 --> 00:24:43.039 David, that's the truth that your mama's living in right now. 00:24:45.759 --> 00:24:47.279 That's the gospel. 00:24:47.839 --> 00:24:50.640 That's a pretty big message to comprehend. 00:24:50.880 --> 00:24:59.039 But now that that life-changing message has been given to his people, it's up to this new creation to spread this message to all the world. 00:24:59.200 --> 00:25:01.599 That ought to at least get a while, right? 00:25:01.920 --> 00:25:05.680 Yes! Come on, this is what we were created to do. 00:25:06.640 --> 00:25:09.519 Our role is to be agents of reconciliation. 00:25:09.839 --> 00:25:18.480 God isn't just a reconciler himself, he is a sending reconciler and he's chosen you as his instrument. 00:25:18.799 --> 00:25:23.200 He doesn't just forgive us and say, hey, go live your life to the best of your ability. 00:25:23.440 --> 00:25:24.160 Does he? 00:25:25.119 --> 00:25:27.119 No, he doesn't. 00:25:27.440 --> 00:25:32.079 He forgives us and says, now go and do for others what I've done for you. 00:25:32.960 --> 00:25:34.319 That's what he says. 00:25:34.559 --> 00:25:36.000 That's the life change. 00:25:36.240 --> 00:25:42.960 Your purpose isn't to just sit and soak in the forgiveness and the love that you've been given, that you've received. 00:25:43.200 --> 00:25:45.599 It's for you to go out and share it with others. 00:25:45.680 --> 00:25:50.079 And I can tell you this from personal experience: the more you share, the more it grows. 00:25:51.119 --> 00:25:54.799 You would think, oh, God's given me this, I'm giving it away, now I got nothing. 00:25:54.960 --> 00:25:56.799 It doesn't work that way. 00:25:57.519 --> 00:26:00.160 Can somebody give me an amen on that one? 00:26:00.640 --> 00:26:04.000 I know Russ always says it makes them go faster if you amen. 00:26:04.480 --> 00:26:09.839 I'm not making that promise, but we are to be ambassadors of the kingdom. 00:26:10.319 --> 00:26:13.039 We are Christ's ambassadors on earth. 00:26:13.119 --> 00:26:19.279 And an ambassador is a representative of a king, a country, or a kingdom in a foreign land. 00:26:19.599 --> 00:26:22.559 They don't speak for themselves, they speak for their homeland. 00:26:22.720 --> 00:26:30.799 They carry the message of their leader, not their own opinions, but the official declaration of the kingdom, whatever that might be. 00:26:31.039 --> 00:26:34.480 So here's an illustration that Nathan sent me that I thought was pretty cool. 00:26:34.720 --> 00:26:36.319 Imagine there's a young man named David. 00:26:36.400 --> 00:26:39.519 Now that might be why I thought it was cool, because that's my son's name. 00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:46.880 He's 25 years old, not my son, the guy in the illustration, and he's just been appointed as the U.S. 00:26:47.279 --> 00:26:49.519 ambassador to a war-torn country. 00:26:49.599 --> 00:26:57.279 And when he arrives, the atmosphere is tense, the streets are filled with fear, the people are skeptical and distrusting. 00:26:57.599 --> 00:27:03.039 They don't want to hear anything from an American who doesn't know their struggle. 00:27:03.200 --> 00:27:05.680 They don't believe in peace, they've never seen it. 00:27:05.920 --> 00:27:09.039 They don't believe in reconciliation, they've never experienced it. 00:27:09.279 --> 00:27:11.599 And yet David walks through these streets every day. 00:27:11.759 --> 00:27:14.400 He visits schools, hospitals, government buildings. 00:27:14.640 --> 00:27:20.559 Every time he steps into a room, people look at him and ask, What are you doing here? 00:27:21.839 --> 00:27:23.119 Who do you represent? 00:27:23.279 --> 00:27:25.279 And why should we listen to you? 00:27:25.680 --> 00:27:27.839 Now, David doesn't get to speak for himself. 00:27:28.000 --> 00:27:29.359 That's not his mission. 00:27:29.599 --> 00:27:32.720 He can't just say, Well, I think you guys are doing something wrong. 00:27:32.880 --> 00:27:43.359 Or, well, my opinion is if you'd sit down and talk, he's a representative of a greater kingdom and he carries the official message of that kingdom, his homeland. 00:27:43.599 --> 00:27:45.759 The message he's been given is simple. 00:27:46.000 --> 00:27:48.559 Our country desires peace for your country. 00:27:48.720 --> 00:27:52.960 Our leader is offering to mediate and help reconcile the parties. 00:27:53.200 --> 00:27:57.680 Our doors are even open for those who are willing to come and talk peace. 00:27:58.160 --> 00:27:59.599 Now imagine this. 00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:04.480 What if David decides, I'm too scared to speak up? 00:28:04.720 --> 00:28:06.079 This is dangerous. 00:28:06.319 --> 00:28:07.759 What if they don't like me? 00:28:07.920 --> 00:28:09.839 What if they kick me out of the country? 00:28:10.240 --> 00:28:12.079 Worse, what if they harm me? 00:28:12.400 --> 00:28:13.440 So what does he do? 00:28:13.599 --> 00:28:15.599 Should he keep the message to himself? 00:28:15.920 --> 00:28:20.799 Should he go to dinner parties and meet with officials and then never say anything about his mission? 00:28:21.440 --> 00:28:21.759 No. 00:28:22.880 --> 00:28:24.000 Back home? 00:28:24.319 --> 00:28:26.720 How do you think the president would feel about that? 00:28:27.359 --> 00:28:30.319 Well, if it's Donald Trump, he'd be furious, right? 00:28:30.559 --> 00:28:32.880 And it is Donald Trump, and he would be. 00:28:33.279 --> 00:28:39.039 The president would be furious because he wasn't fulfilling the mission he was sent over there to accomplish. 00:28:39.839 --> 00:28:42.880 He's not there to eat food and enjoy the culture. 00:28:43.119 --> 00:28:48.960 He's there to represent the leader and his country and to carry the message of reconciliation. 00:28:49.200 --> 00:28:56.000 His silence isn't just a missed opportunity, it's actually a betrayal of his mission. 00:28:57.039 --> 00:28:59.920 So let me ask you, what kind of ambassador are you? 00:29:00.319 --> 00:29:04.079 Are you carrying the message of reconciliation that the king has given to you? 00:29:04.240 --> 00:29:09.839 Or are you just enjoying the benefits of being in his kingdom and keeping the message to yourself? 00:29:11.920 --> 00:29:17.519 Verse 20 says, We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. 00:29:17.839 --> 00:29:20.400 God is making his appeal through you. 00:29:20.640 --> 00:29:30.640 So when you walk through your workplace or your school, your home or your neighborhood, you're not just a person with an opinion, you're an ambassador with a mission. 00:29:30.960 --> 00:29:38.319 You don't just speak for yourself, you speak for the king of kings. 00:29:40.079 --> 00:29:41.200 It's huge. 00:29:41.920 --> 00:29:45.039 We don't just carry around the message of reconciliation. 00:29:45.200 --> 00:29:52.400 We live in a way that represents God to the lost and dying world. 00:29:53.200 --> 00:29:54.960 Are we representing? 00:29:55.680 --> 00:30:04.480 Think about it this way: there's people in your life, people that you pass by every day, who are living in a war-torn country spiritually. 00:30:04.799 --> 00:30:07.039 Their lives are full of strife. 00:30:07.279 --> 00:30:14.799 They're surrounded by chaos, fear, anger, division, divorce, and they're waiting for a message. 00:30:15.119 --> 00:30:22.240 And the king is saying to them, he's saying to us, I want them to hear my message. 00:30:22.480 --> 00:30:25.839 And I'm sending you to tell them. 00:30:26.559 --> 00:30:32.319 God is making his appeal through us, and it's not a suggestion, it's a commission. 00:30:33.119 --> 00:30:40.079 We're being given ambassadorship, and we're to take it out into the world and share the message. 00:30:40.640 --> 00:30:42.160 Paul's laid it all out now. 00:30:42.240 --> 00:30:47.920 We're compelled by the love of Christ, we're made new in Christ, and now we're sent out as ambassadors of reconciliation. 00:30:48.160 --> 00:30:50.319 But how do we actually do that? 00:30:50.880 --> 00:30:54.079 What does it look like to walk in that purpose every day? 00:30:54.319 --> 00:31:04.160 Ephesians 2.10 says it like this: for we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. 00:31:04.319 --> 00:31:14.240 So workmanship comes from the Greek word poemo, poema, and it can be translated masterpiece or poem, an epic poem, a work of art. 00:31:14.880 --> 00:31:16.079 Take that in. 00:31:16.400 --> 00:31:20.799 You're a custom creation designed by the master artist. 00:31:21.119 --> 00:31:28.079 But your purpose is not to be put in a museum and admired, it's to be activated to do good works. 00:31:28.400 --> 00:31:42.319 Imagine an artist who pours years into creating this beautiful painting, carefully selecting every color, every brushstroke, and when he's finished, he steps back and says, Wow, this is my best work ever. 00:31:42.720 --> 00:31:49.119 He takes it off the easel, he carries it down the stairs to the basement, and he puts it behind a stack of boxes. 00:31:51.440 --> 00:31:54.319 Someone says, Hey, perhaps his wife. 00:31:58.000 --> 00:32:00.400 And he says, Yeah, well, you know what? 00:32:00.480 --> 00:32:02.319 I just didn't think it was ready. 00:32:02.880 --> 00:32:04.799 Maybe someday I'll hang it up. 00:32:06.160 --> 00:32:08.160 That would be ridiculous, right? 00:32:08.480 --> 00:32:09.759 Of course it would be. 00:32:10.079 --> 00:32:12.799 But that's what some of us are doing with our lives. 00:32:14.319 --> 00:32:19.519 God's created you and you're his masterpiece, and you're hiding in the basement. 00:32:21.599 --> 00:32:24.640 He's crafted us for a purpose. 00:32:25.599 --> 00:32:33.279 We're waiting, we're doubting, we're making excuses, we're thinking we're gonna get to it later, and God has said, I created you to be seen now. 00:32:34.079 --> 00:32:36.559 I created you to make an impact now. 00:32:37.119 --> 00:32:42.079 I created you to walk in the woodwork, good works that I've prepared for you now. 00:32:42.319 --> 00:32:44.960 So get out of the basement. 00:32:46.000 --> 00:32:58.559 Paul says, We're created to do these good works, not to earn salvation, but to express our salvation to others and to offer it to others, to share it with others. 00:32:59.200 --> 00:33:03.039 There are specific assignments that God has prepared for you. 00:33:03.119 --> 00:33:06.720 So, how do you find out what is your specific assignment? 00:33:06.960 --> 00:33:08.240 Well, look around you. 00:33:08.480 --> 00:33:10.960 What needs do you see right in front of you? 00:33:12.720 --> 00:33:14.640 Investigate your own life. 00:33:14.880 --> 00:33:19.200 What passions or skills or resources has God given to you? 00:33:19.519 --> 00:33:21.119 And then look to God. 00:33:21.759 --> 00:33:25.440 What has He been prompting you to do that you've been resisting? 00:33:25.920 --> 00:33:31.920 And saying, not now, not ready, maybe later, I'm gonna stick this in the basement. 00:33:32.640 --> 00:33:35.440 You know, Russ has shared quote after quote from Neil T. 00:33:35.599 --> 00:33:38.880 Anderson, and here's one that is shared in this message. 00:33:39.119 --> 00:33:46.240 Your purpose isn't something you have to find, it's something you are already carrying. 00:33:47.039 --> 00:33:49.119 Man, think through that. 00:33:50.079 --> 00:33:54.079