Therefore You Are An Ambassador For Christ

Welcome to CCC we are so very glad you are here. To those who are watching on the livestream or seeing this on youtube later welcome. We are also glad you are here as well.

I prayed about and thought about what I am about to say. This past week the US Supreme Court returned the power to determine if abortion is legal back to the states. I praise God for that. I believe based upon scripture that abortion is murder and a sin. From scriptures like

Jeremiah 1:5

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“I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

to

Psalm 139:13-16

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13 For it was you who created my inward parts;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14 I will praise you

because I have been remarkably and wondrously made.,

Your works are wondrous,

and I know this very well.

15 My bones were not hidden from you

when I was made in secret,

when I was formed in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw me when I was formless;

all my days were written in your book and planned

before a single one of them began.

to

Ephesians 1:4

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“For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him.”

To me that is enough.

I truly believe that the Bible is God’s Word.

It is infallible and perfect and even when I don’t understand it or sometimes struggle to agree with it I fully and wholeheartedly believe it

Abortion is a sin but not a sin that has and greater significance than any other sin

That is the thing with sin.

Sin is sin,

the little white lie will send you to hell just as quickly as murder

Here is what I think is important.

Know why you believe what you believe.

There are many scriptures that point to God knowing us before we were born which means life begins at conception so therefore terminating life is murder no matter what it is hidden under

a choice

a procedure

abortion

murder is murder and sin is sin

When people ask you where you stand be honest but be full of love and grace and mercy

I believe the way that Christians handle the extreme and negative reaction to saving babies lives will have an eternal impact.

Stand upon God’s Word

bring the conversation back to God’s Word

but also understand that if a person is lost,

unsaved

the Bible is just a good book at best to fairy tales and fiction at worst

If someone doesn’t have Jesus they don’t have the Holy Spirit so therefore they can’t understand the things of God including His Word and that sin is sin.

I would also say be careful on social media.

Engage but try to do so privately.

Don’t engage in nasty public arguments.

Love them.

Pray earnestly for them.

Speak truth to them but if their fruit is foolishness stop.

Pray and love and speak truth when asked but stop chasing and stop publicly engaging them because until they meet Jesus and accept Him as their Lord and Savior your facebook argument will do nothing but damage

I would be more than happy to sit down with you and discuss this further or pray together or talk through conversations that need to be had etc. I am here for you.

Let’s Pray

This morning I want to look at and discuss and dig into a truth that you have heard from this pulpit many many times but recently God really opened up my eyes to the truths surrounding it and how much it changes when you realize the truth in its proper context

Turn with me to

II Corinthians 5:14-21.

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14 For the love of Christ compels us, since we have reached this conclusion, that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the one who died for them and was raised.

16 From now on, then, we do not know anyone from a worldly perspective. Even if we have known Christ from a worldly perspective, yet now we no longer know him in this way. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come! 18 Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. 19 That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us.

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.” 21 He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

As I said you have heard II Corinthians 5:17 many many times from this pulpit and will continue to hear it because it is such a wonderful, life changing truth.

After Christ you are a new creation.

Praise God for that but when you look at it inside of the entire scripture it is even more powerful

The first thing we are going to look at about his scripture is

Complete Surrender To Jesus vs 14-15

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Christ died once for all.

When you accept Him you also die to yourself

You die to your flesh

You die to your physical body

you die to this world

This is not a physical death but a death to their control and power

Christians no longer live for themselves but live from Jesus

Complete lifestyle

thought

attitude change

it is a behavioral death and change is required

Not you should die to those things

not you could die to those things

not you might die to those things

No the truth of the gospel is you are dead to those things in Christ

Some of you need to realize this and starting living dead to the world and sin and self

Everyone should be able to see you

observe how you live

and realize you live from Jesus

If they can’t you are not a new creation and still living for and from satan and the world

2 Corinthians 4:10

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“We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in our body.”

Jesus leaves you here on this earth after salvation to point people to Him so that leads to our next point this morning

Do your hobbies, life, language, habits, schedule, display Jesus?

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Luke 20:38

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“He is not the God of the dead but of the living, because all are living to him.””

You don’t live from Jesus to gain salvation…

True Christians realize one lives from Jesus after salvation because of salvation

because of your price that Jesus willingly and completely paid on your cross

You are only living because of Jesus

I Corinthians 6:19-20

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“Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.”

When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior you no longer own your body.

He bought it and because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit at salvation you no longer live alone the Holy Spirit lives inside of you.

True Christians this is eternally important.

You do not belong to you so stop living like you do

Many here and watching online struggle with the battle that happens between Holy Spirit and flesh in many areas

Drugs

Sex

Alcohol

Love of money

power

status

overeating

the list is limitless

What about this struggle....ministry

So many Christians today have bought progressive Christianity

That is the pastor’s job

That is the retired persons job

That is someone else’s job

I show up when it is convenient because I don’t need church to be a Christian.

True but to truly grow from milk to meat you need church, not the building the fellowship and accountability that other Christians bring

I give my tithe and I even give to extra projects

There are programs outside the church that help people let them go there

You must understand your flesh and satan and the world will stop at nothing to keep you from getting involved in ministry

Why because Jesus lives in the ministry

When you start getting out of your comfort zone and being the hands and feet of Jesus you truly see Jesus and see Him move and you are in

that is the last thing satan wants. I also believe that many Christians have bought this lie.......That is not my calling so I am not going to help

I agree that you are called for specific ministries and missions. However God also called you here. He knew what would be happening when He called you here

Sometimes, a lot of times, God waits until you love Him enough to do whatever is needed to then bring you into your calling

The poor

The homeless

The naked

The hungry

The rejected

Those struggling with addiction

Those struggling with unplanned and unwanted pregnancy

Those who are dealing with the fallout of adultery and or divorce

Those suffering from abuse

The broken and hurting and lost could care less if you are called but for sure care if you love them as Jesus loves you

You are a new creation, designed and made for God so stop living for you

No More Worldly Perspective vs 16

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Look at the wording here…we do not know anyone from a worldly perspective

This carries with it a huge significance and a huge impact on a true Christians daily life

Church this is a massive statement that MUST change how you view people..

That MUST change how you view Christ

That MUST change how you view the world

True Christians no longer evaluate people based on physical and worldly appearances

Age

Gender

Race

Job

Background

Wealthy

Poor

None of that matters because none of that is eternal

One of the major problem with society today is so many Christians put a huge importance on temporary worldly things

The truth here is the only thing that matters is saved or unsaved.

If someone is saved then the question becomes

are they growing and producing spiritual fruit and what can you do to help encourage their spiritual growth

If they are unsaved

what can you do to shine the light of Jesus into their dark world

You also have to stop looking at Jesus from a worldly perspective

John 1:3

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“All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.”

All created things were created by Jesus

Stop having a flippant

casual attitude towards Jesus

Yes He is your friend, closer than a brother

but He is also God!!!!!!

Your life must show the world the love and respect you have for Jesus because of what He did for you on the cross

Therefore vs 17

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Because of all we have discussed this morning Therefore

Because it is all truth

Because of Jesus dying for you

Because you no longer belong to you after salvation

Because after salvation you no longer look at things from a worldly perspective

Because of all of that YOU are a new creation if you are in Christ

The old has passed away.

I want to stop and talk about this for a few minutes

The old has passed away.

What is the old that has passed away?

For a true Christian everything prior to meeting and accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior

Sins have passed away because they are forgiven…paid in full…no longer a debt

You and I were born sinners and because of that sin we deserved a 2nd death, a spiritual death and eternity in hell fully separated from God

In Jesus sin and death no longer have power as He defeated them on the cross and empty tomb.

All of your old sin and sinful ways are dead they are old and they have passed away.

You may be right now and may for the rest of your life deal with the consequences of those sins but the sin no longer has the power to send you to hell because of Jesus

The hard part is you and I still live in fleshly bodies and will continue to sin after salvation

The difference is for a Christian when you come face to face with your sin

When you realize you have sinned or are sinning

Conviction brings you to your knees

you realize just how much you hurt God

that the sin is keeping you from a right relationship with God

so you confess and are forgiven and cleansed of all unrighteousness made new again

I want you to understand that the only power sin has over you, if you are a Christian, is the power you give it.......stop giving it power

You are no longer defined by the world’s definition of you.

You are blood bought the old you is dead and the new you is here

Some of you need to kick the old, stinky, rotting dead you out of your home and life

Proverbs 26:11

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“As a dog returns to its vomit, so also a fool repeats his foolishness.”

Some of you act a fool and keep returning to your foolishness.

Do you like vomit?

I didn’t think so.....so leave it

It is DEAD

The grip of the world is also dead and gone.

In and from Christ you can be fully content despite what the world says

I Timothy 6:6-10

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“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out. If we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

This scripture is a truth bomb. God just dropped the mic.

Listen you and I live in America the richest country in the world.

Some of yall are chasing the almighty dollar because you love it more than you love Jesus

Be content. The world and money have nothing to offer you

Money in and of itself is not evil. It is the love of money that is evil

You can be rich as a Christian if God gives you that but be careful here

Great blessings bring great responsibility.

If you are rich, and per statistics around the world you are rich,

you better be using that wealth for God’s kingdom and not just for your kingdom

Money…the love of money has nothing for you....it is dead…let it stay dead

The world....it is dead to you as a Christian....let it stay dead

You....your fleshly desires and lusts.....they are dead to you as a Christian let them stay dead

Reconciliation vs 18-19

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This is the coolest part.

As I said and as the gospel says you were born a sinner.....that sin removed you from God......because of you sin you got kicked out a relationship with God

Anyone every been kicked out of somewhere

What about showing up somewhere and there is a guest list or pass list and you aint on it.

...they tell you you don't have to go home but you for sure cant stay there

That was you and God and heaven prior to Jesus…

If you have never accepted Jesus that is still you

Through Christ you are in but beyond that you are reconciled

Your relationship with God is back to like it was never broken!

How awesome is that?

Come one now.

Jesus dying to pay your price and reconciling you back to God doesn't get a deafening AMEN?!?!?!?!?!?

You deserve death but get life

You deserve hell but get heaven

You deserve a life of isolation and loneliness but get Jesus and the Holy Spirit living in you

You deserve satan but get God!!!!

The last thing this truth brings to us is this you are an

Ambassador vs 20-21

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Because of all we have see this morning.

Christ dying for all

you dying to yourself to live from Christ

No more worldly perspective

Being dead to old things

Being fully reconciled to God through Christ

Because of all of that you are now an ambassador for Christ

God is in fact making his appeal through you

You have tasted and see that God is in fact good

Now stop keeping it for yourself

You are His Ambassador

Big corporations have brand ambassadors.

Their only job is to promote the company and it’s products of services.

They seek out people to tell about the company

You are the Chief Brand Ambassador for Christ

Get out of your comfort zone and seek people who need what you have......Jesus

Invitation