A Church that Shares Christ (Summer Sermon Series: #2)

2 Corinthians 5:16-21 and Matthew 28:18-20

Two weeks ago, we embarked on a six-sermon study of what Scripture teaches about being an authentic church. Our authenticity—as individual believers and as members of the body of Christ—the church—must be squarely rooted in Jesus Christ. He is the Chief Cornerstone where all other living stones (believers) are attached to and find their life and purpose:

Ephesians 2:19–22 “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”

1 Corinthians 12:12–14 “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.”

Authenticity—as we learned through 1 Peter 2:1-12—consists of (1) both divestment & investment; (second) our recognition of Who we are attached to and who we are (“like living stones”) and (thirdly) the purpose God has for His church in being attached to the Chief Cornerstone, Jesus Christ—that in Him we are being built into a spiritual house.

With that established, how then do we live (of function) as a body of believers—sold out and committed to Jesus Christ and God’s Word? As a body of believers, our question should be, “God, what is your will and how can I meet you there?” God, what is it you want for

Over the course of the next 5 weeks, we will look to answer this question. Today, we begins with “Being a Church that Shares Christ;” taking what we’ve been given, what we are learning & “going,” sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.

Our Scriptures today focus on both the call of Christ and the ministry of Christ. In our desire to be an authentic church, we must see both the call and ministry of Christ as a vital cog in pursuing authenticity. Might our prayer be that the Lord might encourage us, motivate and so embolden us—through His Holy Spirit—to “go” and make disciples—to be a church that shares Christ.

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Matthew 28:18–20 provides us with the call of Christ:

“And Jesus came and 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.”

Not long after His resurrection, Jesus gathered His 11 disciples to Himself and gave them a divine directive; a directive which the same directive believers have been given today… ““Go therefore and make disciples…”

“Go,”

The command “Go,” reflects the necessity of the church’s mission to be outward focused; in other words

When God establishes a church, that local body’s existence is NEVER to be about building it’s own kingdom—rather it must always be about building God’s kingdom

When God establishes a church, that local body’s purpose is NEVER to possess an attitude of, “let the people come to us,” rather it MUST be, “let us “go” to them

The command to“Go” is active, meaning believers have a purpose—we are not to be still, but to be active in fostering and developing relationships with other people

Our “going” includes (and begins with) our own homes or within our own family (spouses, children, brothers/sisters, aunts/uncles, etc)

Our “going” includes our workplaces and job sites

Our “going” includes our local communities (neighborhoods, senior centers, etc)

Our “going” includes be on mission (locally, nationally, or internationally)

Our “going” includes simply being aware of those divine appointments and opportunities God gives us in our day-to-day lives

“Go, therefore…” (refers us to Jesus’ words before the command: “…All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth…”

We can go b/c of the authority and power we’ve been given in Christ—through the Holy Spirit…power that enables us to be effective witnesses and ambassadors who exalt the name of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth

Acts 1:8 “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.””

We can go, b/c the authority and power we receive is simply the responsibility to share the good news of God’s love, grace, and mercy;

A message which defends itself

A message not dependent upon us grow, only a message we are to plow, sow, and water

1 Corinthians 3:6–8 “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.”

“make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” While there are times when sharing Jesus is accomplished through the means of evangelism (i.e. revivals, conferences, and community outreach events), the primary means and mode of sharing Jesus is discipleship. Why? Because it’s the model Jesus established and modeled

To “make disciples” goes beyond mere acquaintanceship and traverses into relational investment

We must set aside the comfort of superficial acquaintance and engage others at the heart level, where comfort is substituted for sacrifice

We must know we will be exposed to the brokenness of others; whether a broken home or marriage, whether addictions/hurts/habits, another’s deceit which they’ve been living in

The reality of the Gospel we have been given and have been instructed to proclaim is this: We get to invest in the lives of others

To “make disciples” is to guide others/lead others—not only to God’s grace for salvation but to God’s grace for sanctification; in other words to

Teach others to come to know Christ, be known by Christ, and then grow in Christ.

Teach others what true discipleship is: a life of pursuit and following; a life of growing and maturing; a life of conforming more into the image of Christ

Teach others that as they are being discipled, they become disciple-makers as well.

“…of all nations…”—This mandates we see past the “outside” of a person

Sadly, our tendency is to avoid those who live and are different, who society (or even we) have labeled a certain way, who come from different backgrounds, families, or upbringings

“One at a Time” example (Prisoner and his picture)

Kiki and my time with him in MS.

How many people in your community (our community) are like Kiki—who simply need a chance? How many people need the hope that we have, the peace that we have, the liberty we have. How many people could be a light in their own homes and their own communities, if someone would give them a chance and invest in them?

The remedy? Three things

We must learn to see God through the right lens. In seeing God more clearly,

We learn to see ourselves more clearly. When we see ourselves more clearly,

We learn to see other more clearly, through the lens of the Gospel rather than a lens of prejudice/partiality

Jesus’ call to make disciples isn’t a call to comfort—it’s a call to vulnerability—b/c that’s where the fruit is

We must set aside partialities and prejudices and see others through the lens of the Gospel which says ALL people are created in the likeness and image of God (Genesis 1:27)

We must set aside comparisons of others and through the lens of the Gospel, help others to see their worth, value, and identity in God’s eyes—and not in the things of this world

We must remember the spiritual house God is building

Revelation 5:9 “And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,”

“…baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”

This means more than just “religious” formulas,’” or “repeat after me,” statements; it means believers are to lead others

To make “statements of faith,”

Faith that God is the true Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

Faith that believes in Christ as their personal Lord and Savior

Faith that believes that the Holy Spirit is given to believers to be their Comforter and their Advocate

To surrendered lives which follow and grow in Christ

“…teaching them to observe all things I have commanded…” (how many miss this part of Jesus’ command to disciple-makers)

We are to teach people what it is to be obedient to God’s Word

We are to teach people what it is to trust the Word of God and lean on the wisdom of God

Proverbs 3:5–6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”

We are to teach people obedience and trust, yet more so, we are to live as examples

Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

(There is one more statement Jesus makes in Matthew 28, but we will talk about this at the end of our time today)

While Matthew 28:18-20 provides the call of Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 provides us with the ministry of Christ. Why did Christ tell His disciples—why does He tell believers today to “go” and make disciples?

The greatest need a lost person has, is not mental/physical/emotional (though these are much needed to many of us in this world)

The greatest need a lost person has, is not fame or fortune, for these fade as the dew in summer’s heat

The greatest need a lost person has, is not to be more practiced in religion—for religion teaches nothing of grace, mercy, and forgiveness

The greatest need a lost person has (whether they know it or not) is not to have their “old self improved,” rather it is to be made into a new creation, to be born again, and to be reconciled to God.

It is the need of reconciliation—which we have in Christ, that others need and it is the ministry Christ has given believers to carry out

(READ 2 Corinthians 5:16-21)

I. (v.16) Sharing Jesus must be done from the right “root.”

2 Corinthians 5:16 “Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.”

(BEFORE WE GET INTO V.16)

“Therefore,” refers to what Paul says in verses 12-15 (READ)

Tucked in these verses, Paul says the motivation/compulsion/urgency/backbone for sharing Jesus Christ, is the love of Jesus Christ— the love Christ has bestowed upon us…”

(v.14) “For the love of Christ compels us…”

All of Scripture directs us to see and experience the love of God

A love that saw Him not spare His own Son (Romans 8:32)

A love that saw Him send His Son (John 3:16)

A love that was demonstrative on our behalf, when we couldn’t help ourselves (Romans 5:6-8)

Sharing Jesus with others is to share the love of Jesus with others

II. (v.16-17) Sharing Jesus says we regard others the way Christ has regarded us in order they might be made new creations “in Christ”

2 Corinthians 5:16–17 “…we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

“…from now on we regard no one according to the flesh.”

Paul says—in having experienced Christ’ love towards us—we must move forward in loving (regarding) others the same way and stop regarding others according to their flesh.

We tend to regard (judge) others according to the flesh, or “the outside”. God called out this truth to Samuel in the process of anointing David as the future king of Israel in 1 Samuel 16:7 “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.””

God is concerned about the heart of a person—their soul. Why?

One—a person is more than just a mere human beings. A person has a soul and that soul is eternal and will exist forever. God cares deeply about a person’s soul and where their eternity will be spent

Second, b/c the heart (soul) is where life-change takes place, where a person is created anew, where they are born again, and where salvation takes root (Romans 10:9-10)

Second, we tend to regard another’s sin(s) and condemn them for it, rather than speak the truth to them in love. The words of David teach us how God, through Jesus Christ, has dealt with our sins in Psalm 103:10–12 “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

We must remember, as believers, God deals with us according to His Son—NOT according to our sins, meaning He deals with us according to

What Christ accomplished on the cross and through the empty tomb: forgiveness/remission of sins and the freedom from death and separation

Ephesians 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace”

1 Corinthians 15:55 ““O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?””

The richness of His mercy, the greatness of His love, and the sufficiency of His grace

Ephesians 2:4–5 “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),”

We must minister to others—the way the Gospel has ministered to us—through the goodness and kindness of God, for it is the goodness/kindness of God which led us to repent of our sins and confess Christ:

Romans 2:4 “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”

A large part of how we find ourselves ministering to others is through our words: I wanted to touch on this for a moment and share something with you from my personal reading:

This is from an excerpt from Kyle Idleman’s book, “One at a Time,” on how we must guard our tongue (all of this surrounds the adulteress in John 8): Idleman says:

“The reason you’re inclined to condemn (them) is because there’s something about them you don’t like. Right? Or there’s something about them that subconsciously reminds you of something you don’t like about yourself. There’s a way they think, or act, or talk, or treat people that you hate, and it makes you angry.”

He (Idleman) then asks these two questions:

“Has condemning a person ever changed that person?”…”Have you ever met someone who told you, “Well, I was always this certain way, but then I met this hate-filled person who made me feel condemned, and that’s when my whole life changed!”

“Has feeling condemned ever helped you to change?”

In reconciling his point from John 8, Idleman stated this about how Jesus dealt with the adultress woman:

“Speaking truth to her about no longer living in sin did not require condemnation.” He then quoted John 3:17, a verse often left out when quoting John 3:16

“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

Sharing Jesus with others requires that we help others see their sin and what is at risk, but in order to lead others the cross, we must lest them to see the grace, mercy, and love found at the cross

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new

The old self—knows only a life according to the flesh—a life of worldly pursuits; the old self

Deceives and corrupts, leading and drawing a person away from God and into death

Ephesians 4:22 “that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,”

James 1:14–15 “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”

Passes away (comes to death)

Has no relationship with God, and

Is unsure about God

Lives without fellowship and closeness.

Lives to sin and immorality, and

Faces death, is doomed to judgment and separation

A person must be created new—in order for the old man/self to be put away and to be rightly aligned with God

Being made new is NEVER about improvement—it’s about regeneration—it is to become something (someone) totally, radically, and dynamically different in nature and being

Mark 2:21–22 “No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.””

Being made new is about being born again—having a second birth—a spiritual birth

John 3:3–5 “Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

Being made new says:

A person who was once dead to God, becomes alive in God

A person who had no relationship with God, but has been given a relationship with God

A person who was once unsure about God, now as a new creation, lives in absolute certainty about God

A person who once lived without fellowship and closeness, now as a new creation lives in continual fellowship, drawing close to God

A person who once lived to sin and immorality, now as a new creation now lives to pursue righteousness and holiness

A person who once face death, now as a new creation NEVER has to die

A person who once was doomed to judgment and separation, now as a new creation is destined to a life in eternity in the presence of Christ

comes only as a person finds there life, “in Christ.”

A person who has and lives their lives, “in Christ,” is evidence of being made new

What does it mean to be “in Christ?” It is to be

Positioned in Christ,

Fashioned in Christ,

Identified with Christ,

Encompassed in Christ, and

Hidden in Christ (Colossians 3:3 “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

How does a person come to have their life “in Christ?”

When a person’s true belief—

Rests on Jesus Christ life, that

He was/is the Lamb of God sent to take away their sins (Matt 1:21) through His sacrificial death, that

He arose from the grave to give us eternal life, it’s

When they make all of this personal

God then, in a person’s genuine statement of faith—takes that faith (not their rules, works, and religiousness) and counts that person as being in Christ, as if they

Had lived in Christ when Christ was alive on earth—they are COUNTED sinless and righteous b/c Christ was and is

Had died in Christ, meaning the believer NEVER has to die; in Christ they have been freed from condemnation and death,

Had risen with Christ, meaning believer has the NEW life of Christ—just as Christ had new life after His resurrection, so to does the believer

Being, “in Christ,” also means a person possess their “walk” in Christ

It so to walk, “not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Romans 8:1, 4)

It is to deny(ing) ungodliness and worldly lusts, (and that) we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,” (Titus 2:12)

It is to bear Spiritual fruits (Galatians 5:22-23)

It’s here—at this precious moment of a person’s life, where reconciliation takes place—where a person is made new, finds new life, and then begins to walk in this new life

This is the reason—the point—the focus of sharing Jesus Christ with others

III. (v.18-19) Sharing

2 Corinthians 5:18–19 “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.”

Reconciliation means, to change thoroughly, to change from enmity to friendship, to bring together and to restore; it carries the idea that

Two people, who should have been together all along, have been brought together

Two people, who have allowed something to come between them, have been restored and reunited

Man’s sin (our sin) is why reconciliation is what is needed

Romans 5:10 teaches us that b/c of sin, a person is an enemy of God

“For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

Romans 5:6, 8 teaches us that a person is an enemy of God b/c they are sinners and are ungodly

Romans 5:6 “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Reconciliation is the point of God’s love and it involves three persons

God Himself is the first person, for He is the One who reconciles a person

“All things are of God…” point to this—so if any person desires to be reconciled—they must come to God

Jesus Christ is the second person involved—b/c He is the means by which a person comes to God, b/c through Christ’s death a person is reconciled to God—and in a person’s faith in Christ

God accepts the death of Christ as their death

God accepts the sins borne by Christ bore, as the sins that person committed

God accepts the condemnation Christ bore, as the condemnation that was due to them (us), therefore

A person who truly believes that God loves that much—enough to give His only begotten Son—becomes acceptable to God, reconciled forever and ever and is freed from their sins and the punishment/condemnation they deserve,

Ministers (believers) are the third “persons” involved

The only way the world can ever know about the reconciliation offered by God is if we go and tell them

Romans 10:14 “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?”

Reconciliation is amazing when we come to grasp two things

God came to earth, “in Christ”—in the person of Christ

Think on this verse again (v.19) “that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself…”

God Himself—was in the person of Jesus Christ reconciling the world to Himself (talk about undercover boss)

John 10:15 “As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.”

John 10:30 “I and My Father are one.””

God does not impute sin to man

Impute means to count and credit, to charge or to put to a person’s account; the idea is one of “keeping track of, entering into the record.”

If God is not imputing (charging us with sins, keeping record of/entering sins into our record—it means He has forgiven them

David Jeremiah says this: “Through the work of Christ, every believer’s record of sin is blotted out and he or she is reconciled to the Father. So instead of noting every believer’s sins and failures, as sin deserves, God throws out the ledger altogether.”

On the cross, Christ was not CHARGING us with sin—He was DYING FOR OUR SINS

On the cross, God was not there imputing sins against men—He was MAKING IT POSSIBLE FOR MEN TO BE FORGIVEN THEIR SINS

IV. (v.20-21) We “get to” be ambassadors of this message—for Christ

2 Corinthians 5:20–21 “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.”

As ambassadors—

We are the “sent ones” the one’s God has assigned the privilege of going and sharing the message of His Gospel

We, as believers, our God’s representatives to the world—a world that includes our homes, families, schools, workplaces, communities, nation, and for many the world

We are given ONE message to carry—the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ—the message of reconciliation

As ambassadors—we get to share this message “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Their exists a Savior—who is perfect/holy and righteous

Their exists a Savior—who stepped out of the glory of heaven to be perfectly obedient to the point of death on a cross

Their exists a Savior—who carried a cross up to Calvary’s hill—was nailed to it, was mocked, scorned, abandoned, and left to die alone

Their exists a Savior—who could have gotten off—but His love for you kept Him their until what He came to do was finished

Their exists a Savior—who denied death and three days later rose from the tomb and promised that whosever might believe in the resurrection would be saved and have eternal life

Their exists a Savior—who now sits at the right hand of the Father—interceding and mediating for us even to this day—waiting for His Father to give Him the word to come and collect the saints

CLOSING/WORSHIP

The last part of Matthew 28 says this; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”

Sharing Jesus will take you out of comfort zones

Sharing Jesus will expose you to the brokenness of others

Sharing Jesus will bring persecution and attacks of the enemy

Sharing Jesus will take you to places you never thought you go

BUT

Sharing Jesus is the greatest privilege a believer can have

Sharing Jesus is the great purpose God has given to us

Sharing Jesus allows us to see God work in the lives of others

Sharing Jesus is PROOF of LIFE in US