Ministry of Reconciliation
Elastic Resilience • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Intro: Who here has shared the love of Christ with someone they didn’t know?
Whether it was successful or not, who stepped out in faith to approach a stranger about Jesus?
A Whiteboard (before/after)
Write sins or failures across it. Then wipe it clean in front of the congregation—“the old has gone, the new has come.”
Lesson
Throughout 2 Corinthians, Paul speaks of his ministry and our ministry.
All of us have a ministry.
Some believers may think that the only ministers stand behind pulpits and preach,
while all other believers just watch.
But as we mature and grow in understanding,
we discern that all of God's people are God's servants or ministers.
All who serve God and serve others for God are His ministers.
Second Corinthians gives us helpful insights about our ministry as Christians.
This passage shows us principles that made Paul a fruitful servant
All of us want to be faithful and fruitful for the Lord.
Let us study five principles,
in the form of questions,
which will guide us to be fruitful ministers for Jesus.
Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences.
We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart.
For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.
For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;
and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,
namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
The first question that each of us should ask ourselves is:
1. Does the fear of the Lord affect what I say to others?
1. Does the fear of the Lord affect what I say to others?
“Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men” (2 Cor. 5:11)
There are two types of fear of God
-the fear of sinners
and the fear of believers.
Sinners have a fear that is a dread and terror.
They are afraid to stand before God on judgment day.
This is the kind of fear in Revelation 6:12-15,
as sinners see Jesus returning to judge them.
I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood;
and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind.
The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains;
Like all sinners, the sinners of Revelation 6:15 would rather die than meet God face to face.
So when the Lord returns,
those who are unprepared will cry out in fear.
They will pray to die rather than face God Almighty.
In contrast to sinners, believers are free from this type of fear.
We are God's children.
He has forgiven our sins
and adopted us into His family.
His Spirit lives within us and guides us.
With great joy,
we look forward to Christ's return.
We are delivered from the type of fear that Revelation 6:12-15 describes.
God is our Father,
and Jesus is our Savior and Lord.
We have peace with God.
Unlike sinners,
we do not fear to stand before our Father.
In fact, we look forward to it
The fear that Paul writes about in 2 Corinthians 5:11 is reverence for the Lord.
Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men...
This fear is an attitude of respect and awe.
The bema judgment is the background for this fear (2 Cor. 5:10
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
Paul knows that at the end of our days,
we must stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
So we walk "in the fear of the Lord" (Acts 9:31).
Judgment day causes us to fear God.
This fear affects what we say to others to persuade them to honor and obey Him.
WHAT WE SAY TO OTHERS IS EVIDENCE OF WHAT IS IN OUR HEARTS.
What we say to others is evidence of what is in our hearts.
If the fear of God is in us,
this causes us to talk to others about Him.
If we saw a fire burning a building,
we would fear the harm that the fire could do.
Knowing the fear of the fire,
we would warn people in or near the building.
Likewise, since we know that God will judge the world,
we seek to persuade others to get ready.
The first question that guides me to fruitful ministry is:
Does the fear of the Lord affect what I say to others?
Those who do not witness do not believe that a fiery day of judgment is coming.
These are not fruitful in their service and ministry.
These sleeping saints feel no need to warn others
They seem to think that tomorrow will be okay for everybody.
And the Spirit says to us, "Use your influence to prepare people for the judgment day."
Paul said, "Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord we try to persuade men" (2 Cor. 5:11
Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men,
May the fear of the Lord affect what I say to others!
John Wesley often asked those he met:
"Do I meet you praying?"
The fear of the Lord guided him to talk to others about their walk with God.
Now let us look at the second question that guides us to a fruitful ministry
2. Is my conscience clean?
2. Is my conscience clean?
(2 Cor. 5:11-13
Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences.
We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart.
For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.
"...What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.
13 If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you
Paul writes, "What we are is plain to God, and I hope that it is also plain to your conscience" (2 Cor. 5:11b).
In Corinth, critics slandered Paul to destroy his integrity.
These false teachers wanted to gain wealth and attention by leading the church away from God's apostle.
Paul defended himself in order to protect the integrity of the church.
Likewise, there are times when we must defend ourselves,
not for our own ego,
but for the sake of others.
Because enemies attacked Paul's character,
he told the Corinthians that his character was plain to God and should be plain to them also..
The false apostles in Corinth misjudged Paul.
At the bema, there would be a true judgment.
But in Corinth, false apostles judged by human standards alone,
and not by the heart (2 Cor. 5:12).
In contrast, Paul emphasized that God looks on the inside and speaks through our consciences.
Throughout his ministry, Paul testified often of a clean conscience.
To the Corinthians Paul wrote, "Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God. We have done so not according to worldly wisdom but according to God's grace" (2 Cor. 1:12
"We commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God" (2 Cor. 4:2
To Felix, Paul said, (Acts 24:16
I also do my best to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men.
Near Paul's death, he wrote, (2 Tim. 1:3
I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day,
OUR CONSCIENCE FEELS GUILTY WHEN WE TREAT SOMEONE IN A WAY WE BELIEVE IS WRONG.
Conscience means
"with knowledge" or "co-knowledge."
It refers to knowledge of self in relation to what we believe is right and wrong.
Our conscience is not clear when we profess what we do not possess.
Our conscience feels guilty when we treat someone in a way we believe is wrong.
Our conscience accuses us if we disobeyed God in areas of money or morals.
A child named George, only 10 years old, bought a piece of candy at a store.
When the clerk gave change,
he erred by giving the child one coin too many.
Then the small boy erred by keeping it.
Even then, his conscience told him to be honest and return the money.
When George was a young man of 16,
the Holy Spirit convicted him.
He repented and cleared his conscience by not keeping the small coin.
He felt led to go back to the store
and return the money
Likewise, we must practice keeping the conscience clean in small things.
For as Jesus said,
it is through being faithful in small things
that we climb the steps to be faithful with greater things:
“He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.
One preacher wrote,
"I stole a test in college and did well on it.
But for a whole year, my relationship with the Lord suffered,
until I made things right and cleansed my conscience.
I could not pray when my conscience was stained.
I could not witness when my conscience was stained.
I did not even enjoy reading God's Word when my conscience was stained.
Paul knows that fruitful ministry depends on a clean conscience.
To relate well to God and others, we must keep our consciences clear.
When we do something wrong
-offend God or another
-what will we do?
Will we repent and see our conscience cleansed,
or rebel and live with a guilty conscience?
When our conscience is clean, we can worship God and minister to others."
Jesus was so busy with ministry that He missed a meal.
His family members said, "He is out of his mind" (Mark 3:21
When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.”
Likewise, Paul's critics said he was out of his mind.
Perhaps they thought he worked too much,
witnessed too much,
gave too much,
or prayed in tongues too much (1 Cor. 14:18, 23).
When we walk in the Spirit, people may say that we are fanatics
or are out of our minds in ministry.
We cannot control what people say.
But we can please God in all our thoughts,
attitudes,
and actions.
When we live with a clean conscience,
we can say with Paul,
"If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you" (2 Cor. 5:13
For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.
We come now to the third question to guide us in a fruitful ministry.
1 Does the fear of the Lord affect what i say to others?
2 Is my conscious clean?
3. Does the love of Christ compel me?
3. Does the love of Christ compel me?
(2 Cor. 5:14-15
For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;
and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
Earlier, we saw that "the fear of the Lord"
guided Paul to persuade people to make peace with God (2 Cor. 5:11).
Likewise, “the love of the Lord" compelled him to lead people to Jesus (2 Cor. 5:14).
Gasoline powers a car to go forward.
Batteries energize a flash light.
Wood enables a fire to burn and produce heat.
Food provides energy to work.
Batteries in a mic
The love of Christ inspires us to minister to others.
Love of money drives many forward in business.
Love of pleasure leads multitudes astray.
Love of praise motivated the Pharisees (Matt. 6).
Love of self guides us to serve ourselves.
Love of power and position pushes some to cheat, steal, and even murder.
But the love of Christ
-that love He showed on Calvary
-compels us to share the gospel.
The love of Christ is a force
-a power that compels.
The love of Christ made it impossible for Him to remain in heaven.
It led Him down millions of stairs
-from a throne in heaven
to a manger in Bethlehem
and to a cross on Calvary.
When we have the love of Christ in us,
it compels us to witness to others about Jesus.
The love of Christ is a love for the lost.
When the love of Christ fills us,
we love a beggar,
like Jesus loved Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52
When the love of Christ fills us,
we love those led astray by sexual sins,
like Jesus loved the woman caught in adultery (John 8),
the woman at the well (John 4),
and the sinful woman who washed his feet (Luke 7:36-38).
When the love of Christ fills us,
we love thieves,
like Jesus loved the thief on the cross (Luke 23:38-43).
When the love of Christ fills us,
we love lost rich people
like Jesus loved the rich young ruler (Mark 10:17-21).
When the love of Christ fills us,
we love the poor,
like Jesus loved them when the Spirit anointed Him to preach the gospel to them (Luke 4:18).
When the love of Christ fills us,
we love the sick,
like Jesus loved the multitude at Peter's house (Matt. 8:14-17).
When the love of Christ fills us,
we love those of other tribes and nations,
like Jesus loved the Samaritans (John 4),
and the Canaanite woman (Matt. 15:22-28).
When the love of Christ fills us,
we love national traitors,
like Jesus loved Matthew,
who betrayed his fellow Jews to collect taxes for the Romans.
When the love of Christ fills us,
we love children,
as Jesus loved them when His disciples wanted to send them away (Matt. 19:13-15).
When the love of Christ fills us,
we love the multitudes of lost people,
whom Jesus loved and compared to sheep without a shepherd (Matt. 9:35-36).
When the love of Christ fills us,
we love the one lost sheep,
like the good shepherd who left the 99 to find the lost sheep and bring it home (Luke 15:3-7).
When we lack love,
we are content to sit and count God's blessings,
and ask for more.
But,
When the love of Christ fills us,
we must be up and about the Master's business.
Those who are low on love
live to grab all they can.
But those who are filled with the love of Christ
"no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them" (2 Cor. 5:15
and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
Does the love of Christ compel us?
Too often it does not.
That’s a problem
What can we do to solve this problem?
When we find that our love is low,
here are some steps to increase our love for the lost
Repent and turn from anything that causes a guilty conscience.
Forgive everyone who has sinned against you.
Limit the time you spend to please yourself. Invest some time in others.
Take time for devotions-to read the Bible, pray, and worship each day.
Keep the Sabbath. Take time off from work to rest, relax, and worship.
Sow a good deed of love, and reap a harvest of love. Feelings often follow actions.
Let’s review the first three questions that guide us to a fruitful ministry. Then move on to question four.
1. Does the fear of the Lord affect what i say to others?
2. Is my conscious clean?
3. Does the love of Christ compel me?
4. Do I look at others through spiritual eyes?
4. Do I look at others through spiritual eyes?
Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
"We no longer look at anybody from a human or a worldly point of view,"
Paul says. "I once did this to Jesus.
I saw Him as just a man,
a human being."
It may be that before he was converted,
Paul heard Jesus in Jerusalem.
No doubt Paul heard others talk about Christ.
Back then, Paul thought of Jesus as a false teacher.
Before conversion, Paul hated and opposed Jesus
and all who followed Him.
He persecuted them,
tried to force them to blaspheme,
put both men and women in prison,
and rejoiced when the Sanhedrin stoned believers (Acts 26:9-11).
But everything changed when Paul met Jesus as Savior and Lord.
As a believer, Paul wrote, "So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view" (2 Cor. 5:16).
Paul discovered that Jesus was not only a man of the earth,
but He was the Son of God,
the One from heaven.
Paul's view changed after He met Jesus on the road to Damascus.
And because of that,
his view of others changed.
When we are born again, Jesus changes us.
Each of us becomes a new creation.
Only the power that created the world can create a Christian
-"a new creation.
"34 And when He gives us this new life,
"the old has gone"
-as one season fades away
-and behold,
"the new has come!" (2 Cor. 5:17
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
At the new birth, God gives us new life,
new desires,
new appetites,
new friends,
new ideas,
new behavior,
and a new purpose.
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb,
all of life looks new to us
-as if we were living in a new world.
As believers, we relate to God,
others,
and the world in a whole new way.
It is important to relate these verses to the context of 2 Corinthians 5.
Paul is defending his ministry as an apostle.
His enemies "take pride in what is seen rather than what is in the heart" (2 Cor. 5:12).
This is the worldly point of view Paul had before he met Jesus.
But as a new creation in Christ,
he no longer sees anyone from a worldly point of view.
As a new creation,
Paul sees people as God sees them.
He knows that Jesus is Savior, Lord, and Judge.
He knows that Jesus died for all
and that all must stand before Him.
So as a new creation in Christ,
Paul sees all people as in need of a Savior.
Story: Pastor in an accident
daughter says “that man needs Jesus”
The rich and the poor need a Savior,
so he will witness to both of them.
All people are lost without Christ,
including Jews,
Gentiles,
free men
and slaves,
educated
and ignorant.
So as a new creation in Christ,
Paul testifies to Agrippa-a king,
a jailer in Philippi-a Roman,
Lydia-a businesswoman,
Sosthenes-a synagogue leader,
Onesimus—a slave,
Philemon-his master,
and many other types of people.
As a new creation in Christ,
Paul's old way of looking at life is gone.
He no longer cares more about the rich and famous than the poor and unknown.
In Christ, he has become a debtor to all men
-the wise and the foolish
-so he is eager to preach to everyone (Rom. 1:14-15
I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.
So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
As a new creation in Christ,
the Spirit guides Paul to witness to all,
regardless of the color of their skin,
their gender,
their age,
their tribe or nation
, or their sins.
The fear of the Lord
and the love of the Lord
compel him to witness about Jesus.
And as we will see in our last question,
the Great Commission also guides him to witness.
Application:
What about you and me?
As new creations in Christ,
do we see others with spiritual eyes?
Do we recognize that everyone we meet needs Jesus?
Do we criticize some,
exclude some because of prejudice,
and seek only those like us?
Or do we look for every opportunity to minister to others?
Do we forgive those who offend us
and continue to reach out to them in love?
Or do we still relate to others like sinners relate to them?
Do we look at people for what they can give us
or for what we can give them?
Has the old gone and the new come?
Jesus changes how we see others.
As a new creation in Christ,
Paul did not look at people like the world as the flesh looked.
He did not ask,
"What can I get from you?"
Rather, as a new creation in Christ,
he learned to ask,
"How can I bless you?"
As he said goodbye to believers in Ephesus,
Paul was able to testify:
“I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes.
“You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me.
“In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
Now let us look at the final question that guides us to fruitful ministry.
5. Am I Christ's ambassador of reconciliation?
5. Am I Christ's ambassador of reconciliation?
Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,
namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
We have seen that the fear of the Lord
and the love of the Lord
motivated,
compelled,
and guided Paul.
In 2 Corinthians 5:18-21, we see that the commission of the Lord also guided him."
Jesus gave Paul,
the apostles,
and all believers
a Great Commission.
He commanded us to share the good news with everyone
and teach them to obey Him (Matt. 28:19-20
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Second Corinthians 5:18-21 contains four key words:
Key Words in 2 Cor 5:18-21
1 Reconciliation
2 NOT Counting
3 Righteousness
4 Ambassadors
Reconciliation.
To reconcile means
"to bring to fellowship those separated by hostility."
Philemon and Onesimus were separated and hostile to each other-
they had bad feelings between them.
Onesimus was a slave whom Philemon owned.
Slavery was common in Rome.
Some estimate that there were 60 million slaves in the Roman Empire.
Sixty million!
Paul took the time to reconciled one slave, Onesimus, to his master.
He brought them back together.
Paul said that he would pay any debt Onesimus owed.
And Paul told Philemon to treat the slave as a brother,
not just a worker.
Why? Because Paul had also reconciled Onesimus to God!
Likewise, we were separated from God
-far away from Him.
A Torn Piece of Cloth (or Rope)
Show a cloth or rope cut in two. Explain how sin separated us from God. Then tie, stitch, or knot it back together as a picture of reconciliation.
God was angry with us because of our sins.
But Jesus Christ reconciled us to God.
Through His death on the cross,
Jesus became our substitute.
He bore our sins in His own body on the cross (1 Pet. 2:23).
"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us" (2 Cor. 5:21).
Jesus paid our debt.
He died so that we might live in relation to God.
He reconciled us to God!
Not counting.
Look at this amazing verse.
"God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them" (2 Cor. 5:19
God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them,
We were guilty before God
because of our rebellion and disobedience.
We were like the servant who owed his master millions of dollars (Matt. 18:24
But God, the Judge of all the earth,
made a special offer.
He is willing not to count our sins
if we surrender our lives to Jesus
and obey Him as Savior and Lord!
God knows everything.
He counts the stars
and knows them all by name.
But He promises that He will not count our sins
if we receive Jesus!
Wow! What an amazing invitation
the Judge offers to the criminals!
The only thing more amazing than this offer
is that most people refuse it
and choose to pay for their sins in hell for eternity.
Righteousness.
After accepting God’s invitation
God does not leave us as criminals,
with bad character and hearts of rebellion.
The Judge not only refuses to count our sins,
He transforms us
from criminals into good citizens.
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
What an exchange!
Jesus took our sins
and gave us His righteousness.
A Shredded Contract (and a New One)
Rip up a paper labeled “Sin Debt” in front of the congregation. Then reveal a fresh contract marked “Paid in Full—Righteousness of Christ.”
First, He justifies us
and calls us righteous.
Then, little by little,
He transforms us to be righteous like Jesus (2 Cor. 3:18
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
As we submit to the Spirit,
we grow in grace.
And when God is through changing us from criminals to saints,
we will be completely righteous.
Praise God for what Jesus did for us (justification)
and what He does in us (sanctification,
which begins at regeneration).
In Christ, we become the righteousness of God.
Ambassadors.
An ambassador is a diplomat
-a person who speaks for
and in place of
the king or president he represents.
When Paul lived,
Rome ruled the world.
A Roman ambassador spoke terms and conditions of war or peace to nations.
On a higher level, Paul ministered as an ambassador
from God to humanity.
When Paul preached the gospel,
his voice was equal to the voice of God.
The king of heaven had entrusted Paul
with the news that humans needed to hear.
Paul, as an ambassador,
saw men as God saw them
-lost.
Feel the emotion in Paul's words
as he brings news from God Almighty:
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
ALL BELIEVERS ARE CHRIST'S AMBASSADORS.
All believers are Christ's ambassadors.
We represent the King of kings.
God has given us the good news
to reconcile people to Him.
Today, God waits for people to accept His offer of peace.
But a day is coming when God will declare war on earth.
Then, Jesus will return to judge all of God's enemies
-all who refuse to submit to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (2 Thess. 1:3-10; Rev. 19:11-21).
We are all ministers,
servants of God.
Conclusion
I ask you today,
Have you been sharing the love of Christ with others?
If this building was on fire, you would know it
If we had someone deaf and blind, you’d make sure they knew they would be in danger if they didn’t move
Fire alarm accident (not having to pay the price because someone elses complacency)
Is the fear of God compelling you to share the gospel, the good news?
Is your conscience clean?
Is there anything between you and Christ?
A sin, an addiction,
something from your past that still brings you shame?
confess it to God
it is foolish and stupid to wait to confess your sins
as soon as conviction hits you, you repent
If the fear of the Lord doesn’t compell you to share Christ, doe his Love?
Has Jesus done enough for you to warant sharing with others?
Is the freedom born of his love enough to challenge your conplacency into action?
Do you see others through Heaven’s eyes?
do you see those that make you uncomfortable
those that have hurt you
the way Jesus sees them?
as potential brother’s and sister’s in Christ
Finally, are you a good representative of Christ
an ambassador
do your actions and words reflect the life of Christ
Do your conversations reflect a life of prayer and bible reading
