2 Corinthians 5:16–21 - Ambassadors for Christ

Introduction

Opening Illustration: Founding of Park Community Church

In 1988 a young pastor who was serving at Moody Church, up on the North side of Chicago came to Moody’s then Senior Pastor Erwin Lutzer with a request. “Erwin, we have well over a group young professionals who would love a more modern worship service.” If you know Moody, they are quite classical in their approach to the Sunday gathering. He said, “Erwin, would you consider allowing us to have a modern worship service.” Erwin looked to Matt Heard and in his classic deep Erwin pastoral voice said, “Not a chance.” A year later, Matt Heard came back to Erwin Lutzer, and said, “Look this group has grown to well over 50 people. Might you consider planting us as an Independent Church in Chicago.” A big grin fell over Erwin Lutzer’s face, and Park Community Church was born. I’ve heard the story times that Erwin prayed a prayer at the inaugural service of Park Community Church and in that prayer he prayed that Park Community Church would grow to have a larger impact in Chicago than Moody Church. What a selfless amazing prayer that is.

Park Then Grew

What started as a small Church of 50 people in Lincoln Park has grown over the last 35 years, incredible! Park has 12 current locations in the city of Chicago, with a 13th being planted in less than a month in Albany Park. We have sent off over the years dozens of full time missionaries who are planting Churches and leading ministries in some of the most dangerous and difficult spiritual soils on the planet, with another 40+ potential missionaries well in the pipeline right now. It is amazing what God does with a faithful few who commit to Christ through prayer. The hero of Park Community Church is Jesus Christ. He is the head. He is the one who is responsible for every highlight on the highlight reel of 35 years of ministry. It is Christ who gets all the glory, and we who get all the joy in the process of being a part of what God is doing.

Context

If you find yourself in this room today you are joining us on a four week journey of discussing the vision of this Church and what God is doing. And this will be a journey. We have much to cover about the purpose of the Church. Why the Church exists? What are we to be about? How do we navigate the issues that are relevant in our context in Chicago today? For each of you, how do you find your place in the grand story that is Christ extending His Kingdom through His local Church on Earth here at Park Community Church. My deep prayer for this sermon series is that as we discuss the vision of this Church and what God is doing now in this place, that there would be a powerful movement of the Holy Spirit that would convict hearts, and align us as one unified body of Christ fighting for that which Christ cares about.

Lay of the Land for the Next Four Weeks

So let me give the lay of the land for the next four weeks, so you know where we’re headed. Today, we’ll be introducing our new vision statement as we study 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 where we are given the title “Ambassadors of Christ.” Next week, is a very important week in the Big C Church, as it is the week every year where many churches around the globe commit to preaching on the topic of Abortion. Now, if you are new with us and this sounds scary, please know this is a topic we talk about often at this Church, and I pray that you will discover that there is much the Bible has to say on this topic. But we won’t only talk about abortion next week, we’ll actually look at the vision and discuss what it means to care for the “least of these” in Chicago from Matthew 25. Then, on the third week, we will focus in on what it means to multiply our ministries across this city and around the globe as we study John 20. Lastly, this sermon series will be capped off with a great celebration, on January 30th, mark your calendars. On that day every location of Park Community Church will be gathering together at our Near North facility at 10am for one combined service. What that means on that day, there will be no morning service here in this building. On January 30th, we want to see the whole movement in one building, and celebrate all that God is doing across the city through this wonderful Church He is building.

The Body

Now let’s dig into 2 Corinthians 5:16-21. The author Paul writes the following.

2 Corinthians 5:16-21 “16 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. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 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. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 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.”

We Regard No One According to the Flesh

Paul begins in this section by coming back to a theme that he had been developing all throughout 2 Corinthians. Paul had detractors, men who were going around saying that Paul was a nobody, that he was weak, that the Corinthians would be better if they didn’t listen to him. And they were pointing to themselves and saying, “Look how strong we are, look how great of speakers we are. See, this is what power looks like.” Paul says, “As Christians we don’t judge power the way the world judges power. We’re not looking for the next best thing. We’re not looking for who draws the biggest crowd and assuming they must have something to offer. We’re the Church. Our judgment is fundamentally different. We’re out to honor Christ, be obedient to His Word, and be faithful in His calling.

We Are a New Creation

He says that we are “a new creation.” I love that language. What does that mean? It’s actually very similar to Jesus’ language in John 3, when he told Nicodemus that Nicodemus needed to be born again. When you authentically place your faith in Jesus Christ you experience a new birth, and you become a new creation. This is one of the places where the theology of the Bible fundamentally contradicts the philosophy of the world. The philosophy of the world says that people, in general are good, and that the way to heal the world is let people be their most authentic self. Because that’s what’s good, that’s whats pure. But the Bible stands in stark contrast to the empty philosophy of the world. The Bible declares that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The Bible declares that the fundamental problem with the world is not evil existing out there somewhere, its evil that exists in here, because of oursinful rebellious hearts towards God. And until we deal finally and ultimately with the condition of our heart before a Holy God, and the reality that we are dead in our sins when we stand before God, we are without hope. The very first word of Jesus’ first sermon was “Repent.” And the message of the Church has not changed. We call people to repent of sin before a holy God, and begin a brand new journey of being a new creation in Christ.

Believing the Gospel & Double Imputation

Humanity on their own, fails. But God has not left us on our own.

2 Corinthians 5:21 “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.”

In this sweet little verse we have the heart of the good news of the Bible. Jesus Christ, who knew no sin, traded places with us underneath the judgment and the wrath of God. The consequences of our rebellion to God according to God is death. But God permitted someone else to pay the price, Jesus. Look at this text. We learn the doctrine of Double Imputation. If you want a good theological term write that one down. “On the one hand, all of our sins are “imputed” onto Jesus who bore them on the cross in our place. On the other hand, all of Christ's righteousness is imputed to us who believe so that we might become the “righteousness of God.” It’s double imputation. Christ takes our sin. We inherit his righteousness. The beauty of the Gospel! Christ has done it all.

The New Has Come v. 17

Look at how marvelous this is. Paul says, “the old has passed away (17).” It’s done. “The new has come.” When you believe in Jesus Christ, a fundamental transformation happens in your soul. You move from death to life. Your affections begin to change - those things you desired begin to change. This is why Jesus has the power to overcome addictions, and brokenness, and pain, habits you never thought could change, marriages you never thought could be healed. Jesus is not in the business of fixing what was old, he’s in the business of creating something new. Jesus makes you a new person and changes you from the inside out with power. Who of us in here today do not need to be reminded this morning of the reality of our new creation.

Ambassadors for Christ

Read verses 18 & 19 and with me again:

2 Corinthians 5:18-19 “18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 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.”

Who reconciled us? God reconciled us. As Christians when we tell our stories, our story is not one of us finding God and transforming our lives. Our story is of God finding us and transforming our lives. And he has now entrusted to us the Message of Reconciliation. He goes in verse 20 to give us the title “Ambassadors for Christ.” What is an ambassador? An ambassador is one who speaks on behalf of another. He reprensent another. A faithful ambassador does not mix a little bit his master’s words with his own. He represents him to the world. As ambassadors for Christ, the Church has been given a commission, a Holy and authorized responsibility to live as an Ambassador for Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:20 “20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

We Implore You

I love Paul’s words after explaining this. He says, “We implore you, on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” I have a question for you. Have you ever “implored” somebody on behalf of Christ? To sit down and look them in the eye, and implore them to receive the gift of grace offered to them by God that can heal them, that can transform their life. This is what it means to be an ambassador for Christ. We implore people. I think in our modern day, Christians so much time to trying to figure out ways to make the Gospel easier to digest and easier to fit into a secular worldview. We try to water the message of the gospel down until honestly there isn’t much of the gospel left. This is why “repentance” is so often left out of sermons and gospel presenations. The harsh reality is that in all our efforts to make Jesus easier to receive all we have done is created a tame caricature of Jesus that’s not compelling and that people don’t want. I’m convinced that people need to meet the Jesus of scripture for the first time. He’s not tame. He’s not a coward. He’s not a wimp. And he’s not one voice among many. He’s the King. And He’s ruling and He’s reigning right now. And he will come again to establish his eternal Kingdom forever. And the time is short. So I say, let’s get about the business of being Ambassadors for Christ.

Part 2: What is the Church For

So you should be saying to me right now. Well how do we do that? No one has ever shown me how to be an effective Ambassador for Christ. And if you’re asking that today, I’m hear to say to, “I’m glad you asked.” Because one of the primary purposes of the local Church is to train up Ambassadors for Christ and send them out to do the job effectively. You’ve come to the right place. And I’m chomping at the bit to help you do this well. Park—I’m telling you—I see it like a vision. I see a Church that so strong. And we’re bold and audacious, not for the sake of being divisive, but for the sake of representing Christ clearly to a dying world. We’re strong because every member can confidently say, “My Church has trained up to do this well. I’m growing in my knowledge of the word. I’m growing in understanding and use of the Spiritual Gifts. I’m deeply plugged into a Christian community of believers who are prayer filled and mission engaged. I’m growing in my boldness. Church—I see it. It’s like a simmering pot of water sometimes around this place, that any second is going to roll into a furious boil. And I want you to be a part of it.

The Old Vision Statement

For the last 16 years, Park Community Church has had a guiding Vision Statement. That Vision Statement has served us very well. You’ve heard me say it every week from this pulpit.

We exist to be a diverse biblical community where the Gospel of Jesus Christ transforms lives, renews the city, and impacts the world.

Every bit of that statement has been true and is true of what we aim to do as a Church. But if you’ve been around Park for sometime you know that Park has experienced quite a lot of change in the last few years. For starters, we’ve grown from one Church to thirteen spread out across the city, all doing Church in nuanced ways to reach our neighborhood. We’re no longer centrally managed by a central team, but rather we’ve entrusted each local congregation to have the authority to lead and make decisions on their own.

A Family of Interdependent Churches

We’ve changed the language to describe our network of Churches to ‘A Family on Interdependent Churches.’ I love that language. It gets at the idea that here at Park South Loop, we are a Church, our own community, but we are a part of something bigger across the city and there is something interdependent about our relationship with each other. We lean on each other and learn from each other.

New Mission & Vision Statemement

Today we launch a new Vision Statement & a New Mission Statement. These statements are not fundamentally changing anything about Park. Rather, they more accurately represent the heartbeat of what we’re getting after across all of Park.

Proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ to all people until there’s no place left.

Where does this language come from. First of all, it comes from passages like we studied today where we realize the functions of Christians is to live as Ambassadors for Christ. And so we want to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to all people. When we say “all people,” what we mean by that is “all people, everwhere.” This means our neighbors, our coworkers, our family members. This means our communities. This means the nations that have been gathered at our doorstep here in Chicago. And this means the nations around the globe where we send missionaries regularly because they have nobody living among them as an Ambassador for Christ.

No Place Left

This language of no place left comes from Paul in the book of Romans where he says

Romans 15:23-24 “23 But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you, 24 I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain...”

Paul had been so effective in his work as an Apostle planting Churches in his area, that he considered his work complete, there was no place left, he had to find new places to begin new ministries. No place left. What would it look like to ask God to give us a vision for this Church that we would be so effective in living as Ambassadors for Christ that one day we would consider our work in this area saturated. There’s no place left around here, we need to go launch over there, and multiply over there. We’ve fully proclaimed. See this is the heart of an Ambassador for Christ. Ambassadors for Christ care about this. Ambassadors for Christ are asking themselves, am I a part of this thing, or am I just on the sidelines watching others do the work?

New Mission Statement

That’s our vision, that’s our end goal, the driving ideals. But how do we do that. Well there are four key ideas that form our Mission Statement. A Mission Statement explains the “how” we go about this vision. And again, nothing in here is new, but its helpful to have it written so that we can evaluate how well we are doing these things; Make Disciples, Equip

Make Disciples

We are passionate about seeing new people who are far from Jesus, come to know Christ and get baptized. It’s one of our greatest celebrations a community. And as your pastor I want to equip you to be effective in changing people’s lives by helping them encounter God. Throughout the year, especially in the warmer months, but also in colder months, we do evangelism training regularly. Over last summer we had over 20 people hit the streets of Chicago and go out and learn how to share the gospel. We saw people on the streets trust in Jesus for the first time. We saw others have their misconceptions of Jesus challenged. We saw countless poeple receive resources to read the Bible on their own. We love making disciples. And I want to equip you to be great at it.

Equip the Saints

As a Christian in this Church you should not be plateaued in your faith for very long. We want you to be equipped to grow in your faith through deep study of the Word of God, deep prayer, and deep community. We do this in many ways, but let me share a few briefly. Our Sunday gatherings are in important part of growing in knowledge of the Word, and intimate community. Our Small Groups meet throughout the week in homes. Jordan Harris leads our Small Group Ministry, and it is one of the most effective and safe places to ask good questions and be in community with others. Last year we launched the Academy. This heart of the Academy is to bring the depth of Bible College, to you as a lay leader in the Church. We’re offering classes, throughout the year aimed at deepening your knowledge of the word, your love of Christ, and your impact as an Ambassador. We pray daily together. No excuses for not growing in your prayer life at this Church. We pray twice a day daily. It’s in those prayer rooms where you will experience some of the deepest equipping.

Send Them out

Next, we send them out. Success in to measured by how many seats are filled on a Sunday. Our success as a community is as we go out and we step into the world around us wiht the light of Christ. We step into broken places and difficult places and difficult conversations with the Word of God, and we represent him well and courageously. Many of our ministries are aimed at this, and next week we will have a whole Sunday dedicated to speaking about a number of our Ministries. But here’s a few: We’re passionate about orphan care, adoption and foster care and safe families. We’re passionate about ending abortion and we go to abortion clinics in the city and we lovingly proclaim the hope of Christ and options women have besides abortion. We’re passionate about education and at risk youth in the city, and we have historically stepped into both of those places as a Church. We’re passionate about caring for the homeless. We’re passionate about planting new Churches as we just planted Park Community Church Hyde Park, sending out some of our most effective and fruitful members to reach new folks in a new part of the city.

Spread Far and Wide

Lastly, spread far and wide. The language on this one is interesting, but as you’ll notice we needed another S to make the acronym MESS on the side. I know, it’s catchy. Join the MESS of being a Church in the city. It’s not untrue. However, Spread Far and Wide means that we recognize we cannot do this alone and we want to partner really well with other faithful Churches in the City and other faithful ministries in the city. Some of our core Partnerships: Grip & By the Hand who work with At Risk youth. Caris who cares for women with unplanned pregnancies. Pacific Garden Mission who cares for the homeless in our city day in day out. Christian schools in the city of Chicago educating our children. We can’t do this all this alone. God is moving in many ways in this city, and we need great partnership to help get the job done.

Closing

Let me close today this way. I am inviting you into this. The calling is high on the life of a Christian. Being an Ambassador for Christ will allow you to be a part of precious moments that you wouldn’t trade for the world. And in our day, in this hostile secular society that we live in, being an Ambassador for Christ also comes with a cost. It’s one thing to talk about it. It’s another to join us on the streets. It’s one thing to be associated with this Church and to enjoy the benefits the movement without getting your hands dirty with the work. We got work to do. I’m in. Are you?