The New Has Come

HE IS RISEN!

Praised be to God that Jesus is alive.

If you were here last week, you will remember we covered a lot. We went from Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem all the way to His Death on the Cross. Remember why the Jews had sent Jesus to Pilate, they accused Him of blasphemy. While He stood on trial before the high priest, He claimed to be God. He claimed to be the Son of Man from Daniel 7, the priests and the pharisees all recognized that Jesus was equating Himself with God. As I said last week, had this been any other person, what they did here would have been justified and correct.

However, the person they have before them is Jesus the Christ, Emmanuel or God with us. He is the one spoken of in Daniel 7, but He is here to reconcile men back to God not just to bring political salvation as the Jews of the time thought. He is here to be the perfect spotless lamb, whose blood would atone for the sins of the world. He was here to have the full wrath of God poured out on Him, so that we might not have to pay what we owe. We see that as we survey the cross and the time leading up to it. Jesus, who said before Abraham was I am, meaning he is the self existent one, was humiliated beaten, spit on. They wove a crown of thorns and shoved it on His head. He was scourged by the Romans. I want us to make sure we understand the severity of this scourging. The whip the Romans used was called a “flagrum”, this whip had either 3 or 9 leather cords coming from the handle. This on it’s own would have been excruciating, however, the Romans made this much worse by attaching small lead weights or broken concrete and glass to this. This means that when it hit it would dig into the flesh and tear it as they drug it across the back. Isaiah 52:14 tells us:

Isaiah 52:14 ESV

14 As many were astonished at you— his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—

He then carried a cross that Pilate intended for Barabbas, a murderer, and was nailed to it. It was on the cross that our fine was paid and on the cross where the blood that washes our sins away was spilled. It was on the cross that Jesus announced

John 19:30 ESV

30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

It is finished the work had been done, true and complete salvation could be had. Jesus had perfectly lived and was now the perfect and spotless sacrifice. Today we celebrate that the sacrifice He made was perfect and accepted by God, we can know this because three days later Jesus picked His life up again as He said He had the authority to do. Today we celebrate that He Is Risen! He is the God he said he was, He came for the forgiveness of sin, and if your faith is in Him everything has been accomplished for you to spend eternity with Him. You need to do nothing more than to come to faith in Him. Romans 10:9–10 tell us, “9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

Turn with me now to our passage for today, it is found in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 starting in verse 14.

2 Corinthians 5:14–20“14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 16 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. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 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. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

2 Corinthians 5:21 “21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

I wanted to look at a little bit of a different passage today, because I am sure almost all of us would say we believe in Jesus and if you are part of those would say you don’t believe in Jesus, I am glad you are here and would love to talk with you after service, but for the most part we would all say yes, I believe in Jesus. This comes with certain roles and responsibilities.

If you were to go to the National Museum of American Diplomacy’s website, you can find a video called “What is an ambassador?” In it you see that:

A U.S. ambassador is the President’s highest-ranking representative to a country or international organization abroad. The ambassador leads the diplomats and staff serving at a U.S. embassy or mission.

An American ambassador is the voice and the face of the United States in another country.

Their mission is to cooperate with the U.S. legislative and judicial branches so that U.S. foreign policy goals are advanced; security is maintained; and executive, legislative, and judicial responsibilities are carried out.

If you are here today and your faith has been placed in Christ, according to verse 20 of our passage today you and I are now ambassadors for Christ. His death and resurrection reconciled us to God and He is now making his appeal through us. As an ambassador of Christ

Who or what controls us?

In verse 14 it tells us the love of Christ controls us, then in verse 15 it says those who live might no longer live for themselves. Romans 3:23 “23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” God’s standard is perfection, if we want to earn our way into heaven we have to be perfect and unfortunately we cannot do it. If we ever think it is possible, we just look through the 10 commandments and see how many we have broken. James writes in James 2:10 “10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.” We have all earned and deserve death. Romans 6:23 “23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

We cannot earn God’s favor, we cannot be good enough, our wages are death, however God stepped down from His throne and for our sake died and was raised. With Him, our flesh and sin was nailed to that cross, in verse 14 it tells us His death was for all and therefore all have died, and verse 17 the old has passed away. He reconciled us to God and the Holy Spirit now lives inside of us, we have been made new. This is an amazing gift, and it is a free gift. It should produce in us a love for the one who gives it to us and it should produce in us a desire to serve and live for Him, not because we need to earn it but out of gratitude. Our love and gratitude to the one who brings us new life should permeate everything we do. When we wake we should look to him and his word, when we speak it should be of His goodness how He has reconciled us to God.

We should not view Him like we once did. In the middle of verse 16 it says we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. We all once looked at Christ according to the flesh. For some of us He may have been a good person or teacher, he might have been a social justice warrior trying to bring equity to those who society disregards, he might have just been this made up story we didn’t believe, whatever the case it we all viewed Him through the lens of the flesh. When those goggles have been removed, we see Him properly. We see him as God and Savior. But verse 16 tells us that, because of what He has done for us from now on we regard no one according to the flesh. So...

What is it to regard others according to the flesh?

We see the answer to this in 1 Samuel 16. The prophet Samuel had been sent to find the next king of Israel, after Saul’s disobedience. God sends him to a man named Jesse and God is going to choose one of his sons to be the next king. Starting in verse 6, Samuel sees Jesse’s first son and look what happens.

1 Samuel 16:6–7 “6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”” Did you catch that? It says

For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.

That is what it is to regard others according to the flesh, it is to view them only by their appearance, what they can do for us, or how poor or rich they may be. It is to view others with partiality and seeking our own benefit rather than seeking the Lord and their benefit.

This is not what it is to be an ambassador for Christ. The ambassador of a country views the country he or she is in through the lens of how can this country help my own country. Which means we as Christ’s ambassadors have to understand the one we are serving, we have to see people through God’s eyes. We are called to...

See others how God sees them

This is not something that comes naturally to us. This is something that comes only with being made new and there are going to be times we fail at it. However, we can see how God views men and women at the cross. Every man, woman and child both born and unborn are made in His image. We were made to be in fellowship with Him. We are His most special creation, nothing else in the Bible has God’s image stamped into it. Yet through our own rebellion we cannot enter His presence, so he made a way to restore that relationship. God was willing to die for us, this is how God views every man, woman, and child. He loves us enough to lay down His life for us. In verse 21 of our passage we see the depth of the love he had for mankind. 2 Corinthians 5:21

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

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

He now tells us to look at others through this lens. See the world in need of reconciliation. We have been given the ministry of reconciliation. Jesus after His resurrection charged His followers to go out into the world and be His witnesses. In Luke 24 Jesus sends out the disciples as Ambassadors and look at the charge He gives them starting in verse 45.

Luke 24:45–49 “45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.””

He sends them out with the same message we have here in 2 Corinthians. It is the message that Jesus suffered died and rose again and that we can be reconciled to God through repentance and the forgiveness of sins through the name of Jesus. This message is to go with people to all nations and peoples.

What is it to be an ambassador for Christ?

An ambassador for Christ must first and foremost be a person who has placed their faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. They must be born again. If you are here and you have not come to that point, I implore you as Paul did here, on the behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. Paul is speaking on behalf of Christ and Christ’s message is come to me all you who labor and I will give you rest. Be reconciled to God. He is the way, the truth, and the Life, and he says no one comes to the father except through Him.

You don’t need to do anything to come to Him, he is waiting with open arms. He is the one who makes us new, through Him we can overcome sin, and It is because he made him who knew no sin to be sin. He did that so we might become the righteousness of God. He gives us his righteousness. I want you to know Him and have that righteousness, don’t get me wrong it isn’t going to fix all of your temporal problems. In fact if you are Christian, Jesus promises trials, but we have an eternal Hope and peace that is only found in Him.

An ambassador lives in a land that is not their own, but works for the good of their own country or kingdom out of a love for that country or king. If you faith is in Christ, this is not our homeland and while we live here we can steward what we have we are not to love this world. This is not where we will spend eternity, we are sojourners here. As ambassadors we are to live as God has called us despite the fact that we are in a foreign land. We are not to blend into the culture, rather we are to be set apart or Holy as God is Holy. This is something that is only possible if we are abiding in Him.

An ambassador for Christ’s job is to work for the kingdom of God. This one can be hard, we can enjoy many of the things in this world but we are not to let them control us, and beyond this those things we have should be used to benefit others. Peter speaks of this in 1 peter chapter 4 when he writes starting in verse 7

1 Peter 4:7–11 “7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

As ambassadors one of our main missions is the ministry of reconciliation, this is constantly working for the good of others. This often takes the resources that God has blessed us with. We are to use them to serve others, but again I said we are working for the good of others, this takes the Gospel message. If we are ambassadors and working for the kingdom of God, one of the greatest things we can do is work with God to grow that kingdom. It says as ambassadors for Christ, God is making His appeal through us. We must be willing to share the message of life with those who are dying.

Christ had died and Now He is risen and He offers that new life to all who believe.

Let us pray.