Mission: Reconciliation
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For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 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.
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. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 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. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
(pause)
Mission: Impossible is an incredibly popular movie franchise, built around the story of American spy Ethan Hunt, an agent in the IMF (Impossible Missions Force), a fictional U.S. government agency designed to carry out classified missions by a team of highly trained operatives.
Mission: Impossible movies are known for their theme song, and the unique manner in which Hunt receives his missions.
On a variety of devices, from movie to movie, Ethan is given the details of the mission with the call: "Your mission, should you choose to accept it."
(pause)
Over the past several weeks, we have looked at Luke’s description of the early church in Acts 2:42-47.
The Church as it first began was a group of people who devoted themselves to knowing God more deeply. They studied God’s Word and spent much time in prayer.
The Church was committed to worship and fellowship with God’s people. Daily, they attended the Temple worship services and met in each other’s homes. We should remember that the first believers did not reject the Jewish religion.
Rather, these followers of Jesus recognized Him as the Messiah they as Jews had been waiting for for so long. So, they worshiped in the Temple with Jews who did not necessarily believe in Jesus.
And they worshiped in homes with one another - celebrating their faith in Jesus and seeking to understand His will for their lives better. And, it would seem that in doing so they were inviting others - Jews - to learn about Jesus.
The Church was committed to serving those in need, sharing the love of Jesus in practical ways. What was the result?
And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Simply, the Church from its earliest days was evangelistic. Those who believed the Good News that Jesus is our Lord and Savior were compelled to share that with others.
The believers in the first Church had the same belief that we do today: Christ will return very soon.
(pause)
They expected Jesus to come back in their lifetime!
(pause)
We recognize, nearly 2,000 years later, that Jesus’ intention was not to return immediately. But we also believe that Jesus’ coming is soon. Today, his return is nearer than it has ever been.
And so, like Ethan Hunt of Mission Impossible, the believer is faced with a great mission. Our mission is impossible to fulfill by our own strength. Our mission is much greater in importance.
Our mission is not merely life and death, but eternity in Heaven or Hell!
This mission is not a fun story to entertain us for a couple of hours. This mission calls for us to give our lives in service for a great cause - the Greatest Cause of all - promoting the mission of Jesus in the world!
Our mission is: Mission: Reconciliation!
In this letter we call 2 Corinthians, Paul was writing the church, baring his pastoral heart. This church had been at odds with this apostle. Paul had previously written a very severe rebuke. Now, Corinth Church was repentant.
Paul wrote again, telling them of his love for them, and defending his ministry. In chapter 4, the chapter previous to our text, Paul talked about possessing his ministry before God as a treasure in earthen vessels - jars of clay.
He was not a spectacular preacher or person. He was just a clay jar. Furthermore, Paul detailed the difficulties he experienced…
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our bodies.
He went on to say that his life was given in service to this church even to death, that Christ's life might be known by these believers.
He did not faint in this affliction. He was not discouraged. Rather, even if his physical body died, his inner man was being renewed every day.
This frank discussion about life and death led Paul in 2 Corinthians 5 to talk about the believer's hope that if we die, we will go to Heaven and be given an eternal body.
So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience.
Here we find the central idea of our text…
Big Idea: God calls us to complete His mission before judgment day.
Big Idea: God calls us to complete His mission before judgment day.
(pause)
Why is Mission: Reconciliation so important?
(pause)
Simply, it is because all those who are not reconciled with God will spend eternity without Him!
Because we understand how terrible it will be for people to face God on judgment day, we persuade men. The terror, the fear of the horrors of Hell inspire us to do all we can to rescue people from eternity without God.
This is a powerful motivation for ministry, but there is a deeper, more basic, motivation for pursuing the mission of God - Mission: Reconciliation.
1. Our Motivation - Reconciliation, vv. 14-15.
1. Our Motivation - Reconciliation, vv. 14-15.
For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died;
Notice, it is not our love for Christ that constrains us, but the love of Christ that constrains us.
(pause)
It is not that we are such spiritual, magnanimous, loving people that we therefore seek to help others.
No! Rather, it is the love of Christ for us - that He died on the Cross in our place - that causes us to pursue Mission: Reconciliation.
It is the love of Christ in us that directs us to follow Mission: Reconciliation.
Look at the word "controls". The Greek word has the idea of being restrained, seized, afflicted by, suffering from, urged, or impelled.
In other words, Christ's love for us and in us makes it impossible for us NOT to be concerned for others. Why?
(pause)
We understand, as Paul continued in verse 14, because Christ died for all humanity, all humanity is dead.
Yes, as Paul wrote in Ephesians 2, in our trespasses and sins we were dead - spiritually dead. At that time we walked according to the way of this world, following the Prince of evil,
… the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—
Spiritually dead, we lived this life, headed for an eternity of death in Hell. But Christ died for all.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Yes, God is not willing that ANY should perish. Jesus died for ALL. Anyone who will confess their sins and put their trust in Him as Lord and Savior can receive eternal life.
But this new life that we have in Christ is not only for us personally. Rather, as Paul writes in verse 15 of our text:
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.
We must be very clear here. That cheap grace - that easy Christianity professing to believe in Jesus but will not follow Jesus is not REAL Christianity.
How can one truly believe in Jesus if they refuse to obey His Word and His will! How can we truly follow Christ if we have not part of His mission of reconciling the world to God!
The scripture says we are bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20). We do not belong to ourselves anymore. We do not belong to Satan. We do not belong to the world. WE BELONG TO JESUS!
And Jesus died for us so that we might live - not for ourselves - but for Him who died for us!
So here is the question we must ask:
(pause)
What is your motivation in life? What motivates you? Is your life all about building your career, building your family, being a good citizen?
Or, is your life centered around the purpose of following Jesus, and entering into the mission of Jesus?
Truly… what excites you? Are you most passionate about politics, the ball game, money, trinkets, family?
(pause)
Or, is your motivating passion to share the love of Jesus that you have experienced with others who have not?
(pause)
2. Our Ministry - Reconciliation, vv. 16-18.
2. Our Ministry - Reconciliation, vv. 16-18.
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.
Because we have been given life by Jesus, because we are controlled or constrained by Christ's love for us, our perspective on life is completely changed. We no longer look at anyone according to the way of "the flesh", the way of the world.
What is the worldly way of looking at others?
(pause)
The worldly perspective on people is one of competition. The worldly perspective believes that if someone else is exalted, promoted, or has success, we lose by default. We must compete with the Jones.
We compete for better jobs, more money, better cars and boats, bigger homes, more toys. Even in the church world, there can be competition. Corinth Church competed over spiritual gifts, and practicing them in the worship service.
The world tends to look on at others with suspicion. We believe everyone has an angle. We cannot trust them fully. In the church, this perspective looks at new people in the church, wondering why they are here and what they are trying to get.
The world is filled with prejudice. We assume that that person believes differently than us, has wrong motives, cannot be useful in God's kingdom, etc., etc. because they are different from various ways - in looks, speech, background, culture and more.
The worldly perspective is selfish, immoral, quick to be offended, hard to forgive.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
(pause)
If we have trusted in Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are new creatures. As Paul writes in other places, we are to put off all aspects of the old life of sin and put on the new life of righteousness.
Furthermore, everyone else who has trusted in Christ as Lord and Savior has also become new creatures - new creations - in Christ.
Yes, we may remember their history. We remember how they used to behave. We might even wonder if we can trust them now.
But that is the worldly way of thinking again!
This person is now a new creation in Christ Jesus.
(pause)
When Adam and Eve sinned, humanity became broken and sinful. The perfect, good creation intended by God our Creator was marred.
But in Christ, we can be recreated to be the people Christ intended all along for us to be! As followers of Jesus, we live in a state of being and becoming.
We are new creations in Christ, yet as we grow spiritually and progress in sanctification we are becoming more and more like Christ.
As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:18…
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;
The ministry of reconciliation - coming alongside others and cooperating with how God is working in their lives to reconcile them to Himself: this is our mission!
(pause)
In the local church, we may talk about our various ministries. One may serve as a Sunday school teacher. Another person is an usher.
Yet another person prepares food for special events. One sings in the worship team or plays an instrument. I lead the church and preach regularly. Others serve in other ways.
But for each of us, our ministry is much more than merely teaching, ushering, preparing food, singing, preaching, etc., etc. Our ministry is reconciliation!
The ministry of every believer - whether you have some position in the church or not - is reconciliation.
Everything we do should be done to help people be restored to Christ, made new creations in Christ, changed from living for the world to living for Jesus!
(pause)
Yes, I know. It is easy to say for every ministry within the local church that we are doing it for the purpose of reconciliation. But are we?
Do we do everything we do to see people rescued from sin to become fully devoted followers of Jesus?
Are we seeing the results from being laser-focused on a ministry of reconciliation? Are people making professions of faith in Jesus? Are those persons making professions of faith growing in their faith?
Are believers displaying the fruit of the Spirit in their lives - both at church, at home, at work, and in the community? Are believers leading others to become followers of Jesus?
(pause)
Why do we do all the things we do? Are we truly focused on a ministry of reconciling people to God?
3. Our Message - Reconciliation, vv. 19-21.
3. Our Message - Reconciliation, vv. 19-21.
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. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
God came to the world in the person of Christ. Why? So that he might reconcile the world unto Himself.
It is not God's will to punish humanity for their sin. God's heart longs to display His love in forgiveness. So Christ died in our place and rose again on the third day.
Now, Christ has committed to us this word of reconciliation. This is our message. This is the Truth we are to proclaim: God loves you, and so He died that you might live!
God has therefore sent us as His ambassadors into the world. An ambassador is sent to a foreign country to represent his homeland.
The ambassador does not go to the foreign country to enjoy himself. He does not go to further his own interests. No, the ambassador is sent on mission to do the will of his government.
As such, the ambassador speaks to the foreign dignitaries on behalf of his homeland. He shares the message of his president, his king or queen, his dictator, etc.
We have been commissioned and sent into this world to be Christ's ambassadors. Our message is simple. It is a message of reconciliation:
… We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
As verse 21 explains…
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 our sin upon His shoulders on the Cross. Jesus was sinless and did not deserve to die. But Jesus willingly chose to die in our place - in the place of the entire world.
By His death, we are then made the righteousness of God. When we come to Christ, confessing our sins and pledging our allegiance by faith in Him, God forgives us and cleanses us of sin.
We stand before God, righteous! God continues the work of sanctification in the believer. As John wrote in his first epistle…
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
Forgiven of sin, cleansed of unrighteousness, the barrier of sin is removed. We have fellowship with God and can enter into His presence in eternity without fear, for Christ has reconciled us to God!
Wow, what a message! This is the gospel that we preach. This is this message we must preach. This is the truth that we should be preaching!
Is this the message that people hear from us? Whether a person attends our church services or merely visits with us sometime during the week, what message do they hear?
Do they hear a message of self-improvement? Do they hear a message of doom and gloom? Do they hear a message of politics? Do they hear a complaint against the sinful world? Do they hear self-promotion?
Or do they hear the "old, old story" of reconciliation between God and man?
(pause)
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
As we have studied our text today, we have been reminded that judgment day is coming. That will be a great day for all who love Jesus, but a terrible day for those who have not accepted the Good News. Therefore…
Big Idea: God calls us to complete His mission before judgment day.
Big Idea: God calls us to complete His mission before judgment day.
(pause)
Our mission is not impossible.
(PAUSE)
Our mission is reconciliation!
(pause)
Our motivation is reconciliation. Christ's love compels us to share the Good News that God wants a restored relationship with every sinful human being.
Our ministry is reconciliation. There are many things that we could do as Jesus' followers, but only one counts: helping people be reconciled to God.
Our message is reconciliation. Any other truth is off-point. Our message is to help people know that God wants a relationship with them.
"Your mission, should you choose to accept it…"
(pause)
As we noted earlier, as a follower of Jesus you are on mission. Christ expects you to be a disciple who helps others become His disciples.
Being a witness of Christ's saving grace is not optional. We ARE His witnesses!
Yet, we do have a choice. Will we embrace the mission of reconciliation, becoming vitally involved in sharing Jesus' love with others?
Will we constantly look for opportunities to be a friend to those who need Jesus? Will we be faithful to the opportunities Christ gives us to share the Good News?
Will we stay on task, seeking to reconcile people with God? Will we love others with the love of Jesus that fills our hearts?
Our challenge today is to pray, asking God what our next step for Mission: Reconciliation is. Pray, seeking God to know what He wants YOU to do in sharing the Good News with others.
Then, obey His voice!
(pause)
"Your mission, should you choose to accept it" … is reconciliation!
(pause)
Will you answer His call?
