Sermon Tone Analysis

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.”