WITNESS

Good morning CHURCH!!!

WELCOME TO TRBC FIRST BAPTISM SUNDAY!!!

Bibles out! 2 Corinthians 5:14-21

INTRO:

OUR MISSION

LOST SAVED…SAVED MATURED…MATURED MULTIPLIED…

Matthew 28:19 ESV

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

WHAT IS A DISCIPLE?

4W RECAP

WORSHIP…WALK…WORK…WITNESS…

Look what Paul says happens to people who live out these 4Ws

READ V14-15

The love of Jesus Christ “controls” us.

KJV the word “CONSTRAINS”

What does that mean?

Defined “to occupy, to compel with great urgency”

Jesus’s love for us compels us..

Compels us to do what? “Live for Him!”

Why is Jesus’s love compelling?

THE GOSPEL!

2 Corinthians 5:15 (ESV)

and he died for all… who for their sake died and was raised.

The Gospel of Jesus, shows us why His love is so compelling.

Ephesians 2 “we are dead in our sins”

The bible tells us “the wages of our sin is eternal death”

God is righteous, we cant stand before Him as sinners.

But PRAISE JESUS FOR THE GOSPEL!!!

God came down in flesh, lived a sinless perfect life, took on our punishment of death, literally died for us, so that we could be made righteous.

AND ALL OF THIS HAPPENED BECAUSE HE LOVES US!!!

John 3:16 God so loved the world…

ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS PLACE YOUR FAITH IN THE GOSPEL…

AND WHEN YOU DO, the love of Jesus through His Gospel will compel you to:

WORSHIP HIM, WALK WITH HIM IN HIS WORD, WORK FOR HIM BY SERVING …

And as we will see today

BIG IDEA: The Gospel compels us to witness for Jesus!

Paul is going to show us in this text today that every single Christ follower, is called to witness for Jesus…

Some of you might be saying “like no way!” thats not my gift!” “Im not good at witnessing!”

THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT WITNESSING…TELLING LOST PEOPLE WHO JESUS IS AND THAT HE CAN SAVE THEM FROM ETERNAL DEATH…

ITS NOT OPTIONAL

IT IS APART OF OUR DUTY AS A CHRIST FOLLOWER…

IT IS AN IDENTIFYING MARKER OF A TRUE DISCIPLE OF JESUS…

We are all called to WITNESS FOR JESUS

And its the Gospel that motivates us to be a witness for Jesus

Because we have been transformed by it!

Paul is going to show us…

When we place our faith in Jesus, it gives us 3 new identities…

We are going to see all 3 of these identities today…

3 Identities of Christ followers

We are:

A New Creation In Christ (v.16-17)

READ V 16-17

“From now on…”

Once a person has accepted Jesus, we no longer regard them to their old dead self…

If you have turned away from sin and follow Jesus…

You are no longer defined by your sin.

Paul says we are to no longer regard you in your old flesh like we no longer regard Jesus in His flesh.

Before we become Christ followers… to us Jesus was just a guy who was executed on a cross in the first century…

BUT BECAUSE OF THE GOSPEL, WE NO LONGER REGARD JESUS AS JUST A MAN…

MEN DON’T DIE AND RAISE FROM THE DEAD!!!

THE GOSPEL HAS SHOWN US THAT JESUS IS GOD!

BECAUSE of Jesus…We are A NEW CREATION!

THE OLD IS DEAD!!! THE NEW HAS COME!!!

We are a new creation because…

We are:

Reconciled to Christ (v.18-19)

READ WITH ME IN V18-19

We were reconciled to God through the shed blood of Jesus

Why would we need reconciliation??

WE WERE ENEMIES IN OUR SINFUL STATE

Romans 5:10 ESV

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

But through our faith in the Gospel, Jesus has brought reconciliation between us

Jesus took on our sin!

He took the death we deserved/ Gods wrath

Before Jesus when God looked at you He saw sin

Now when He looks at you He sees Jesus!

HOW INCREDIBLE IS THAT!?!?!

We had a death sentence

And an innocent man came in and took the penalty for us…

If a person comes up to you and says “Why do you worship this Jesus?”

THATS WHY!!!

Because God is just, so he must give us what we deserve

BUT HE IS ALSO RICH IN MERCY AND GRACE AND LOVE

And look how amazing Jesus is, not only does he reconcile me

but also now trusts me with the message of reconciliation

This message of reconciliation is THE GOSPEL!

So we have been entrusted with it…but what do we do with it??

Look in V20-21 READ

We are:

Ambassadors of Christ (v. 20-21)

This final identity is one of an Ambassador

Do you know what an ambassador is???

An ambassador by definition is : “An authorized representative or messenger”

Throughout history it has been the ambassadors job to to deliver messages from the king to the people of the world

WE ARE TO DELIVER A MESSAGE FROM JESUS TO THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD!!!

And we see the message right here!

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

JESUS TOOK ON OUR SIN AND GAVE US HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS!!!

(STATE THE GOSPEL AGAIN!!!)

And this isn’t a thing to be taken lightly…

Paul says “WE IMPLORE YOU!”

IF YOU ARE IN THIS ROOM RIGHT NOW AND DON’T FOLLOW JESUS!!!

PEOPLE ARE DYING EVERYDAY AND GOING TO HELL!!!

WITNESSING FOR CHRIST ISN’T JUST A DUTY GIVEN TO THE PASTOR OR THE LEADERS…

ITS A DUTY FOR ALL WHO FOLLOW JESUS!!!

IF YOU HAVE BEEN MADE NEW…

IF YOU ARE RECONCILED TO JESUS…

THEN THE BIBLE SAYS YOU ARE AN AMBASSADOR FOR CHRIST…

How do we witness…whats the best way…

Your Testimony

Pauls testimony

Why do you think we are entrusted with this message of reconciliation???

Who better to tell people about the saving love of Jesus than those who have experienced it first hand!

And we are going to hear from some people who have experienced the love of Jesus first hand today…

BAPTISMS!!!

PRAYER!!!