Ambassadors

Intro

Today is the last regular student ministry night of the school year. With that being said, I wanted my last lesson of the school year to be something you could take into the summer and the next school year.

We have been going through a mini series on Identity.

Two times ago we talked about being new in Christ. The old has past and the new has come.

When we view ourselves, we don’t view ourselves based on our past, but being new in Christ.

Last week we talked about be reconciled to Christ. Our relationship with God was broken, but because of what Christ did on the cross, we now can have a relationship with Him.

When we think about how others view us, we think about how God views us. Not by our sin and failures, but being a child of God.

Both are awesome. But in this passage, God gives us another part of our identity. And this part gives us purpose.

Turn to 2 Corinthians.

2 Corinthians 5:20–21 “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.”

We are Ambassadors.

What is an Ambassador?

There are three things that ambassadors do that we do.

An Ambassador is from somewhere else.

Our home is not here. We are citizens of heaven.

If I’m a Russian ambassador, I will live somewhere else but Russia, like the USA. But, my citizenship is back in Russia. I’m Russian, but I live outside of Russia.

That means that we don’t live for this world. This is a temporary assignment.

Philippians 3:20 “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,”

Our allegiance isn’t for the things of this world, but for the eternal kingdom.

An Ambassador represents.

As a Christian, you are always representing Christ to others. The questions is, are you doing it well, or poorly?

It would be like if I was a Russia Ambassador, I sounded Russian, I rode in the Russian ambassador’s car, I even had a name tag that said “Ambassador of Russia”, but I did whatever I wanted. It doesn’t matter if I’m trying to represent Russia or not, I am going to represent Russia.

In the same way, you are always representing Christ, whatever you want to or not.

Vs 20 “God making his appeal through us.”

An Ambassador has a mission.

We have a reason why we are here.

A Russia Ambassador isn’t just here to be like “I’m and Ambassador”. They have orders. Things they have to do. Meetings to go to. Agenda’s to execute. Thoughts and ideas to convey to others in the country they are stationed at.

So first, we need to know what God is saying in order to represent Him well.

Read your Bible.

Pray.

So what is our mission?

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

It’s not to build our kingdom. Proclaim out name.

It’s to build HIs kingdom. To proclaim His name.

It’s to share the gospel. To tell others about the good news of Jesus.

How do we do this?

So if your identity is being an Ambassador of Christ, you are suppose to represent Christ.

If you think “What if I mess up, what if it’s awkward, what if I represent him poorly?”

Ask yourself this, “If you knew that God was going to work in that person’s life, would you share the gospel with them?”

Ask this question to God whenever you step into a room:

Is there anyone your want me to have a conversation with?

Is there anyone you want me to share the gospel with?

Group Questions:

What do you think it looks like in real life to have your “citizenship in heaven” while still living here?

How would you live differently knowing that you always represent Christ, even when you don’t mean too?

If you knew that God was going to work, would you share the gospel? What stops us from sharing?

Going into summer (and next school year), what is one specific way you want to live more like an ambassador for Christ?