Our New Identity in Exile

Introduction

Exile is pretty striaghtforward- being forced to be away from people! My undergrad degree was in social studies education (any education majors here?) Listen, we talked a lot about exile in my major! It’s like Napoleon first on Elba and then St. Helena) or like the ISRAELITES (forced from Israel, taken away, and the goal was to make them LOSE WHO THEY WERE!)

Main Point: We are MADE NEW and we are COMMISSIONED as ambassadors.

Body

2 Corinthians 5:16

In context, Paul has been talking about WHAT IS TO COME! Paul has been laying out how we WALK BY FAITH, not by sight, how we KNOW THE LORD and HOW JESUS DIED AND ROSE AGAIN!

Our passage picks up directly after Paul shares how JESUS DIED AND ROSE AGAIN! verse 16 is going to be all about our PERSPECTIVE!

2 Corinthians 5:16 CSB

16 From now on, then, we do not know anyone from a worldly perspective. Even if we have known Christ from a worldly perspective, yet now we no longer know him in this way.

So because of what JESUS HAS DONE, we have a NEW PERSPECTIVE and as we’ll see; we have a NEW LIFE!

We no longer know ANYONE from a worldly perspective.

In particular, it is noteworthy that we no longer KNOW JESUS from a worldly perspective.

The way that we see people has been totally transformed!

So what is a worldly perspective. It is mentioned twice in this verse so it clearly matters.

Let’s describe it like this- a worldly perspective is a perspective that is NOT built on Christ!

It is a perspective that is APART from Jesus!

Let’s go deeper though. Here are 3 defining characteristics of a worldly perspective:

First, a worldly perspective focuses on outside appearances.

A worldly perspective focuses on COMPARISON and it ONLY COMPARES WHAT IT SEES ON THE OUTSIDE! WHAT SOMEONE HAS, OR DOESN’T HAVE, HOW SOMEONE LOOKS, HOW SOMEONE ACTS!

Let’s be honest, comparison is easy to fall into!

It’s prevalent in our world and it’s ALL AROUND US! (INFLUENCER CULTURE!)

Secondly, a worldly perspective SEES sin and FINDS IT ATTRACTIVE!

A worldly perspective sees sin as a way to get ahead and LIKES IT!

A worldly perspective doesn’t just TOLERATE SIN, it EMBRACES SIN!

That’s what we see in scripture! Think about the Israelites- when they were walking in sin in 1 and 2 Kings, they didn’t just tolerate sin, they actively RAN TOWARDS IT! They sought it out!

Thirdly, a worldly perspective looks for how it can USE other people- including GOD!

A worldly perspective wants to USE OTHER PEOPLE TO GET AHEAD! It wants to use influence and power to make sure that we end up where we want to be!

ACTS 8! SIMON THE SORCER! (Literally trying to BUY THE HOLY SPIRIT TO MAKE MONEY!)

Let me summarize it like this. A worldly perspective is all about OURSELVES! A worldly perspective, a FLESHLY perspective as Paul calls it in some other places is fundamentally a SINFUL WAY TO SEE THE WORLD!

It is centered around OUR COMFORT and around how GREAT WE ARE!

But Paul says that we no longer know ANYONE, INCLUDING JESUS from that fleshly perspective.

So how do we know people if we are in Christ? HOW DO WE ACT IF WE ARE IN CHRIST?

It’s really beautiful. If our old perspective is self-centered, then our new perspective is built off of the opposite!

Rather than focusing on the outward appearance of someone and judging them, our new perspective is focused on the HEART like God!

(Example of 1 Samuel 16- Samuel going to anoint a king!)

1 Samuel 16:7 CSB

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature because I have rejected him. Humans do not see what the Lord sees, for humans see what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.”

Rather than seeing sin and finding it attractive, we HATE SIN!

Paul says it like this in Romans 12:9

Romans 12:9 CSB

9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good.

Rather than loving sin and WANTING TO SIN, when we have been made new, we are going to DETEST EVIL! WE WILL HATE SIN AND CLING INSTEAD TO GOOD!

Thirdly, this new perspective changes how we see ourselves and others. Rather than being self-centered and trying to USE PEOPLE FOR OUR GAIN, we will SERVE OTHERS! In fact, this is exactly what our SAVIOR DID!

Mark 10:45 CSB

45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Listen guys! Our perspective has TOTALLY TRANSFORMED!

See, previously we were all about US, but now it is different- and why? Well, that’s our first big thing tonight and we are going to see it in verse 17!

2 Corinthians 5:17

2 Corinthians 5:17 CSB

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!

Paul’s going to make an argument here- here’s his argument- IF ANYONE IS IN CHRIST, HE IS A NEW CREATION!

That’s his argument!

That’s why our perspective has shifted! It has shifted because we are NEW CREATION!

Let’s take a minute to look at this statement in more detail- this is ONE OF THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT STATEMENTS IN ALL OF THE BIBLE!

When I was in college I was in Navigators and this was one of the first two verses I learned with them! I didn’t really think all that much about it then, but guys, if we understand this verse then it COMPLETELY CHANGES OUR WORLDVIEW!

So first- IF ANYONE- who? Paul is talking about ANYONE!

ANYONE AT ALL! Regardless of your background, regardless of any shame you might be feeling tonight, PAUL IS SPEAKING TO YOU IF YOU ARE IN CHRIST!

ANYONE CAN BE IN CHRIST!

And what does it mean to be in Christ?

It’s simple- it means that you have put your faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins.

If anyone is in Christ- if ANYONE HAS PUT THEIR FAITH IN JESUS- then they are a NEW CREATION!

I want to point something out. This is a statement of fact! This is a declaration of IDENTITY!

This isn’t a future tense statement that “someday you’ll be made new-” this is a statement that is true TODAY!

TODAY YOU ARE MADE NEW!

The old- that is what we just saw in verse 16- has passed away and the NEW HAS COME!

We have literally been transformed! SIN NO LONGER HAS A GRIP ON US, instead we are transformed and we CAN LIVE TRANSFORMED LIVES!

Guys- let me be clear- you have been made new. I’ve been in your seats; I’m in your generation, we are all in the same generation. I’m going to be honest- I know the struggles we face. I know the questions that we get asked, I know the questions that we have.

Just hear me on this- YOU HAVE BEEN MADE NEW!

JESUS HAS MADE YOU NEW!

Before we go any further- before we talk about anything that has to do with exile, hear this- YOU- AS AN INDIVIDUAL are known by God. You are made new and God calls you VERY GOOD INDEED! (Genesis 1:31)

2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Looking at verses 18-19 we see a transition. We’ve just seen how we are made new and now we are going to see what our response to this should be!

2 Corinthians 5:18–19 CSB

18 Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. 19 That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us.

See, we’ve been made new and now we are given a ministry and a message. What is the ministry and the message?

It’s all about reconciliation.

Let me put it another way- God has brought us into a relationship with HIM THROUGH JESUS- this is an accomplished action- the price has ALREADY BEEN PAID! ALL OUR SINS ARE COVERED- ALL OF THEM- just as we see in verse 19!

And now, we are commissioned to bring that to the world!

See, Jesus has purchased us; Jesus has RECONCILED US TO GOD- or brought us BACK TO GOD- and NOW WE ARE GIVEN A RESPONSIBILITY- WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR PASSING THIS ON TO THE PEOPLE AROUND US!

There’s such a deep and important connection between 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 and Matthew 28:19-20— look at this!

2 Corinthians 5 tells us that we have been given the message and the ministry of reconciliation and MATTHEW 28 tells us HOW TO LIVE THAT OUT. If I had to choose a favorite verse in the Bible, this is it!

Matthew 28:19–20 CSB

19 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, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Let’s look at this for a second. First, in Matthew 28 we are told to GO! We have to GO with the message of reconciliation!

Second, we are told to make disciples, then we are told to baptize them, and teach them TO OBSERVE, or OBEY, everything that Jesus commanded.

And finally, we are to remember that JESUS IS WITH US ALWAYS!

Can I tell you something great about that?

Our reconciled savior never leaves us. Our reconciled savior never runs from us.

We will never outrun God, we will never upset God too much that Jesus doesn’t love us!

JESUS IS WITH US ALWAYS! As we bring the message of reconciliation and the forgiveness of sins to the people around us, we ARE NOT ALONE!

And fundamentally, one of the hardest things about exile is that we are alone! But in CHRIST WE ARE NOT ALONE! WE WILL NEVER BE ALONE BECAUSE WE HAVE JESUS THERE WITH US AS WE OBEY HIM AND LIVE OUT THE MISSION HE GAVE US!

2 Corinthians 5:20

2 Corinthians 5:20 CSB

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.”

Ya know how I just said we were given a mission? Here’s Paul’s summary of our mission.

THIS IS THE JOB! We are ambassadors!

So what is an ambassador?

An ambassador is someone who lives overseas and represents their country in a foreign place.

In college I had a class taught by one of the US negotiators with North Korea and he had friends who were the ambassadors to Brazil and Zimbabwe and all over the world!

These ambassadors MOVED to another country where they worked to REPRESENT America and to do a job!

Now their job as ambassadors was to preserve peace, negotiate deals and to share AMERICAN culture and life with the country they lived in.

There’s one thing I need to stress- an ambassador works ON BEHALF of a government. An ambassador DOES NOT call the shots! An ambassador is under authority.

And we are called AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST!

So we are living in a foreign land that isn’t our home! We are serving our LORD!

We are exiles, but we aren’t just passing time in exile, we have been given a job to do!

And what is that job?

WE ARE TO PLEAD ON CHRIST’S BEHALF WITH THE PEOPLE AROUND US!

Plead is an interesting word. It carries a meaning of PERSISTENCE AND EMOTION! Pleading requires that we are EMOTIONALLY invested in the people that we are talking to!

And notice that we are not calling the shots, we are pleading on CHRIST’S BEHALF!

So who do we plead with?

ANYONE THAT IS AROUND US!

And we don’t plead by ourselves; we don’t plead with people on OUR STRENGTH, but rather on CHRIST’S STRENGTH!

We plead with people- “BE RECONCILED TO GOD!”

In other words- we plead with people to be saved!

At Cornerstone, we like to talk about this idea of pleading like this- we NEED to persistently love, evangelize, and disciple the people around us!

That’s what we are called to do! We are called to P.L.E.A.D. with the people around us! We are called to BE AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST IN THIS!

We have seen that we are made new and now we see that we are to be AMBASSADORS!

Well, remember, an ambassador doesn’t live at home. An ambassador lives in a FORM of exile.

So let me challenge us as exiles living here together until GOD BRINGS US HOME- we can’t spend all of our time trying to make our lives here on earth perfect and comfortable.

Instead, we must seek to see the KINGDOM OF GOD GROW!

WE SEEK TO SEE PEOPLE SAVED!

We don’t complain that it is unfair that we are exiles, instead, we should rejoice, knowing that even now we are a CHOSEN RACE, A ROYAL PREISTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE OF GOD’S POSSESSION AND THAT IN ALL OF THIS WE PROCLAIM THE GLORY OF GOD! 1 Peter 2:9

We rejoice because we are surrounded by people who need Jesus! We are surrounded by people who NEED TO HEAR THE TRUTH; that they need to be RECONCILED TO GOD!

As exiles, we always have people around us to proclaim the gospel to persistently, people for us to love, people for us to EVANGELIZE, and people for us to DISCIPLE!

We are made new by Christ and now we live as CHRIST’S AMBASSADORS! Look with me at 2 Corinthians 5:21!

2 Corinthians 5:21

I love that right after Paul charges us with a mission he gives us another identity statement! We aren’t just made new; we aren’t just ambassadors; we aren’t just exiles; look at what verse 21 says!

2 Corinthians 5:21 CSB

21 He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

WE ARE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD!

Let me break this verse down- God sent Jesus to earth. Jesus came to earth and despite never sinning was crucified.

Jesus took OUR SIN AND OUR SHAME TO THE CROSS FOR US!

JESUS BORE THAT AND TOOK OUR PUNISHMENT!

Literally, he BECAME SIN for us!

Notice that- why did he become sin? Why did he pay this price?

FOR US! HE DID IT BECAUSE HE LOVES US!

And he did it so that we ARE NOW THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD!

Righteousness means to BE TOTALLY SINLESS!

Jesus’s sacrifice COMPLETELY TOOK AWAY OUR SIN!

It took it as far away from us as the East is from the West.

Jesus’s sacrifice completely removed our old self. Remember- our old self, our fleshly self; our WORLDLY PERSPECTIVE?

Remember how it was built off of serving ourselves?

Yea, Jesus has completely changed that. Jesus has COMPLETELY TRANSFORMED US!

HIS DEATHA DN RESURRECTION HAS COMPLETELY RECONCILED US TO GOD!

Rather than being driven by ourselves, we are now told that we have been MADE NEW, that we are AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST, and now that we are THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD!

And that only happens because of JESUS!

See, this passage not only gives us direction as we LIVE IN EXILE, it also REMINDS us of OUR GOD-GIVEN IDENTITY!

We are made new, we are ambassadors for CHRIST and we are THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD!

HEAR THAT TONIGHT IV!

Application

You are Made New

PREACH FROM THE HEART! HOLY SPIRIT MOVE!

Verse 17! Verse 21! YOU HAVE BEEN MADE NEW!

GOSPEL! Repent and Believe! (YOUR SALVATION HAS ALREADY BEEN ACCOMPLISHED!)

Can I tell you something? YOU ARE NOT DEFINED BY YOUR MIDTERMS, OR BY YOUR GRADES, OR BY YOUR DEGREE, OR THE JOB YOU GET SOMEDAY, OR YOUR PAYCHECK!

LET ME GIVE YOU THREE THINGS THAT DEFINE YOU!

MADE NEW IN CHRIST! (COMPLETELY TRANSFORMED! GOD MADE US NEW! OUR IDENTITY HAS SHIFTED AND THE BASIS OF OUR IDENTITY HAS SHIFTED! It’s not in us; it’s in GOD!)

AMBASSADOR FOR CHRIST! (ON A MISSION FOR LIFE! THIS IS OUR JOB! GOD GIVES US IDENTITY IN EXILE AND GOD GIVES US PURPOSE!)

THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD! (CHANGED FOREVER! DO YOU BELIEVE THAT? I’m going to declare that to you today- IV, if you are KNOW CHRIST THEN YOU ARE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD! NOTHING CAN TAKE THAT AWAY!

You are an Ambassador

PREACH FROM THE HEART! HOLY SPIRIT MOVE!

WE ARE NOT JUST MADE NEW, WE ARE GIVEN A NEW PURPOSE; A NEW JOB WHILE WE LIVE IN EXILE! (DON’T FORGET WHAT YOU ARE WAITING FOR AND DON’T EVER FORGET THE JOB JESUS GAVE US TO DO WHILE WE WAIT!)

We are to be AMBASSADOR’S FOR CHRIST!

And as ambassadors we are to PLEAD WITH THE PEOPLE AROUND US, “BE RECONCILED TO CHRIST!”

So let me give us a really practical challenge.

Champaign needs Jesus. UIUC needs Jesus. And how is it going to happen?

ONLY THROUGH US GOING AS AMBASSADORS!

Every day we need to be focused on FURTHERING THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND BRINGING JESUS TO PEOPLE!

An ambassador doesn’t get to decide, “It’s Tuesday, Ill be an ambassador today but not tomorrow.”

And in the same way, we don’t get to decide that TODAY we will go to the people around us with Christ, but not tomorrow1

EVERY DAY WE NEED TO LIVE OUT OUR FAITH AND BRING JESUS WITH US!

Let me give you a challenge- WHO’S 1 PERSON YOU CAN GO TO WITH THE GOSPEL?

AND DON’T DELAY IN THAT! GO TONIGHT! GO NOW!

Can I tell you about one of my friends that I pray for a lot?

His name is Tim…