AMBASSADORS

I have relatives who are German,

My aunt she was born here in Burnaby grew up here and then met a man who was german at Harvard. They got married and she moved with him to Germany,

They come back to visit every once and a while and a few years ago they were here and they were shopping in the mall.

In the mall they went to a shoe store.

They were not very impressed as I think the worker kept bringing the wrong shoe or size out. So my uncle says something in German about the worker and how bad she is.

Super rude comment, not appropriate. NOt kind. They’re not Christians.

However, you have to see he made a judgment call, he looked at her and assumed she couldn’t speak german. So he spoke and insulted her in German. To his surprise.

She replies in German and gives a comment right back at him.

Judging people is a dangerous game. How are we supposed to view people properly?

What does the Bible tell us with how to view people?

What does the Bible say about how we view ourselves?

What does the Bible say my purpose is?

Today we hope to talk about that.

So today we’re going to read from 2 Corinthians 5:16–21 “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.”

A) How we view others

2 Corinthians 5:16–17 “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.”

Paul here says that we’re to regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh.

What Paul here wants us to see is that we’re to be people who view others in there spirtual state.

We don’t go on and judge others for thier current status.

How good they’re in school.

How good looking they are.

The fleshly things are not how we ought to judge others but we’re to judge others on what’s really important. What this means is that God made everyone, so that means everyone is made in the image of God. Every human being has value and dignity. NOt because of what they do. Not because of what they can do.

But because they’re made by God.

So this morning you can hear from me that you have value and dignity because you’re made in the image of God.

The second thing that goes on is that he says Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

What Pual wants us to see here that when we’re in Christ. When we become a Christian, there is a change that comes in us. There’s a difference and a shift that comes.

THe old is gone the new is come It’s your identity.

On Sunday and you guys have heard me say this a lot.

Who you are effects what you do.

So if you’re a new Creation. THis effects the way you view humans. It makes you see humans with God’s lens. With value.

But also their desperate need for a saviour.

So this means when someone makes a mistake. When someone fails what we can do is look at them with the image of God. This means recognzing there desperate need for a saviour.

This means when you see someone at school and think oh no what are they doing you think they need the grace of God just like me.

B) How we view ourselves

2 Corinthians 5:18–19 “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.” Christ reconciling us to himself is the best statement ever.

Restoration. I remember one time I had these really old crusty shoes that I loved. They got super dirty and beat up, and someone told me to put them in the washing machine, and it worked! They looked great.

This is the idea of reconciliing restoring made new.

The word trespasses here means to sin against:

God did not count our sins against us.

I remember in my middle school classes gym class would get so compettitve. People yelling at each other people getting so angry. The issue is sometimes this would boil over.

Sometimes two blocks later people would still have hurt feelings.

Not counting our sins against you means that you’re fully forgiven. That you’re fully clean.

It’s as later on it says so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. That means because of what Christ did for us on the cross, we now get Christ’s or Jesus righteousness. Which means simply God looks at us in the same condition he does as Christ.

That you’re a new creation.

You don’t have to walk in the ways you use to walk. You’re justfied and made new.

Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” That means if you’re a Christian all your mistakes and sins, there’s no more a penalty for.

Your price has been paid.

Now this is what we shape our identity around.

SO now when we think of ourselves, we don’t think of where we’re lacking, where we’re making mistakes. We think of ourselves in the way God views us.

God doesn’t hold our sins against us. He’s forgiven us. Tells us there’s no more guilt or shame, We’re free!

We don’t view ourselves dependant on our looks or our grades, or our personality, but that we’re God’s child.

That we’re a new creation.

C) What is our purpose

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.”

Maintains diplomatic relations, it’s a representative of a country. Being an ambassador for a country is not a small role. Here’s what it takes to become an ambassador

Get a 4 year degree

Join the country's diplomatic service through examinations and recruitment processes.

Serve in various diplomatic and governmental roles, often for 15–30 years.

Develop expertise in foreign policy, negotiations, and international affairs.

Be nominated and appointed as ambassador to a particular country.

So what is a Christian ambassador?

We’re the representive of Christ.

We live lives that are represented of Christ.

Again remember who this is written for.

This doesn’t just mean evangelism and loving your school. Although it includes this.

It means coming to church and viewing yourself as the representitive and not the one that the ministry is for.

Pastor Rob loves the phrase consumers to ambasadors.

I want you to listen for it.

What his goal for our church and my goal for the youth ministry is….

is for you to each become ambassadors.

Each one of us our bent our tendancy that is natural is for us to want to be consumers. This means that we come to church, we want to have fun, we want to be served. We want to hear a great sermon, we want people to talk to us

What an ambassador does. I’m representing Christ right now.

So when i come to church, I say who can i love, how can I serve. How can I make this fun for others even if it’s not for me. How can I love for others. How can I put others needs before mine

Philippians 2:3–8 “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

This mentality and attidude has to be our passion and desire everywhere we go

Do you realize that every trip to the supermarket.. or timeout down the road is a divine opportunity to stand out for Jesus?

Do you realize man there’s people going to hell, this is on me. I got to be radically passionate about sharing the Gospel with people

This is the reality about Jesus. It’s not, oh he’s there for me when it’s about me.

If you have a relationship with King Jesus it changes everything about you. Shapes your whole world view.

You’re just all in and all consumed by Him and living for His glory.

It effects your relationships because once you realize how you have been reconciled with Him you have a call to be that to others.

Forgive people, love people.

And also brining others to Christ to

We’re going to be odd, that’s okay

Friends I’m going to be honest with you, we’re not home. We’re not home.

We’re ambassadors for Christ I gotta be honest, being ambassadors for Christ is difficult. It’s tough. It’s so abnormal. The world says to do whatever you feel is best. To do wahtever you feel. Whatever you want.

IF you feel this way then you must react like this. If you feel like you’re that then you do this.

IF you feel no one loves you then you don’t have to love them.

If you feel that you’re nervous to talk to somebody you don’t need to,.

Being an ambassador means that I will represent Christ and do whatever he wants me to do.

The final verse here “For our sake he made him to be sin rwho knew no sin, so that in him we might become sthe righteousness of God.”

Christ didn’t need to die. He didn’t need to die in the most gruesome way possible. He did for our sake. He did because he knew we needed a saviour. He knew we were hopeless destined for eternity away from God.

So jesus took on sin, even though he was the only person to never sin before.

So that we might have the righteousness of GOd.

WOW this is incredible.

Now again, if we’re in Christ we have the righteousness of God.

Incredible.

This must impact how we view ourselves, others, and the world.

3 Questions tonight:

What do you think of when you think of yourself?

When you think of yourself what’s most important to you?

Where do you put your identity?

What do you think about most?

The most important thing about you is the state your in before God. There’s only two option, you’re His child You’re saved by grace, or you’re not?

Where are you at ?

If you’re his child then that must be the thing we build our idendity around, confident and praising HIm that we’re his child. Thankful to Him.

Is your identity in that because of Christ him coming to this earth dying and being raised from the dead, you’re now viewed with the righteousness of God and just so excited and in awe of that?

Or are you placing your identity in other things?

This evening, this is a call. If you’ve never accpeted the amazing gift of what Christ did, receive it.

If you know the Gospel, and are in God’s family, go back to what He’s done for you, and build your life around that, make that the most important thing about you.

2. How do you think of others?

When you view others, what do you think about? Is your first instinct to judge others? Portray your insecurities on them? Look down at them? Laugh at people?

Or do you see them with value.

To the non Christians that you know, if you view them with value, the response must be to reach them for the Gospel. TO share, to invite them to church.

To the Christian friends, it must be to continue to encourage them in their relationship with God. To push. Encourage, pray for. Willing to mention sin in their life in love and in truth. To hold them accountable.

Each person in our lives, needs to be viewed with God’s eyes.

The most important thing in a person is their condition before God. We also must be people who radically forgive others, because we have been forgiven.

So what do you think about when you think of others.

3. Are you walking in your purpose? The passage is clear for us today, to walk in our purpose. To view ourselves as Chrst’s representitives.

So will you walk in your purpose?

Of coming to church and trying to serve others? Looking for people to love on, care for, invite. All of us can do this. This is God’s purpose for his church. For us to be filled with people who are broken, need his grace, and then walk in our purpose of reflecting his gospel to those around us.

Walk in your purpose this summer, who does God for you to love? Pray for? Pursue even though you don’t feel like it.

This does not mean that walking in this purpose will be easy.

This doesn’t mean that because you pursue people that God will bless all your relationships and that you’ll become best friends with everyone. BUt honoring Christ is the most important thing.

THis is what he has for his church.

So will you be a person, that first views yourself, saved by God’s amazing grace, deserving nothing but him being so loving and kind.

Then will you view everyone around you that they also need Jesus’s love. That they need grace, compassion and mercy just like you do.

Then will you serve this community around you. Radically willing to lose your desires, prefrences, time and talent to build GOd’s kingdom.