Sermon Date: January 5th, 2024

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

A new year is a good time to dream. I want to read more books, spend less time on my phone, and spend more time with my family and friends. I’m sure most of you have also been setting New Year’s goals and are already working hard to achieve them. We all want this to be a great year.

We also have a New Year vision for our church. At Southland, our long-term vision is to see Spirit-empowered Gospel transformation in Indian Land and beyond, as demonstrated through new disciples, caring community, leadership multiplication, and church planting. Our vision for 2025 comes from that long-term vision and narrows in on one focus area. Our vision for 2025 is to see lost people become new disciples as we reach out with the message of the Gospel.

A disciple is simply someone who follows Jesus. We believe that Jesus is the Lord and worthy of our following. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is the King of the universe. So, we long to see people become new disciples and Christ-followers. We are going to strive together for this purpose in 2025.

As we consider our vision for seeing new disciples, we will unpack a passage of Scripture together. 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 is what we’re looking at today. I invite you to open your Bibles there now, please. This Scripture passage will help us consider God’s calling and how we can bring this vision to life this year.

2 Corinthians is a letter written by the apostle Paul. Paul was one of the primary leaders in the early church, an eyewitness to the resurrected Jesus, and devoted to making new disciples. In this letter, Paul counters false teachers who distort the Gospel and attempt to discredit his ministry. Paul explains to the Corinthians and us the importance of spiritual perspective and our calling to be ambassadors of reconciliation.

Listen now to the Word of the Lord.

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. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come! Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. 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. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.” 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.

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

The main idea of this passage is that we should be ambassadors of reconciliation in Christ. We represent God’s heart and message to people who don’t yet have a relationship with God. An ambassador is “a person who represents, speaks for, or advertises a particular organization, group of people, activity, or brand.” (Cambridge Dictionary). For example, I had a red Coca-cola t-shirt as a teenager with white letters. People would compliment my shirt. By wearing their logo, I was representing their brand to my community. I was giving Coke free advertisement. I was an ambassador of their product. Similarly, Paul teaches us that we are called to be ambassadors for Jesus and the Gospel to people who don’t yet have a saving relationship with God. We get the privilege of representing God’s heart and message to our community.

Reflect for a moment. What are you an ambassador for to the people around you? Do they know you for representing Jesus? People might know us for our hobbies, sports teams, jobs, etc. But as followers of Jesus, we want them to see Jesus in us. We want to represent His love and grace to them.

The first thing I want you to notice in this passage is that ambassadors have a spiritual perspective on life. In verse 16, Paul says, “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.” What is a worldly perspective? A worldly perspective is one that looks at external factors and not the heart. For instance, a worldly perspective looks at someone’s wealth, beauty, or career success. In verse 12, Paul explains that the false teachers that Paul is countering “…take pride in outward appearance rather than in the heart.” Paul is saying that we shouldn’t focus on outward appearances but rather the spiritual, unseen condition of people’s hearts.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of looking at outward appearances. Personally, I’ve spent way too much energy shopping for a new pair of running shoes recently and overthinking the color schemes. Why would I do that? Because I worried about outward appearances. I want to look good while I’m running around. I might have to wear those shoes to Harris Teeter for a grocery run and need to be looking good. We all know this temptation of getting hung up on outward appearances. Most of our New Year goals are probably tied to improving our outward appearances. Our culture places a high value on beauty, clothing, fitness, what care you drive, and other outward appearances. It’s an easy trap to fall prey to.

But Jesus wants His followers to have a spiritual perspective and prioritize the heart. In verse 17, Paul says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!” Paul says that the identity that matters most is our identity in Christ as new creations. It’s not our outward condition that matters most, but our spiritual condition. When we trust in Jesus, we get a new heart and new identity. Our old sinful life has passed away, and we are born again as new people. Having a spiritual perspective means seeing people through this old life and new life lens. If people in Christ, then they are new creations. If they are not, then they are lost and dead in their sins.

If we are going to be good ambassadors of the Gospel, we have to stop looking at external appearances and start looking at the heart. We need to see ourselves from a spiritual perspective. We need to stop chasing external appearances and prioritize our new identity in Christ. Remember the words of Jesus, “For what does it benefit someone to gain the whole world and yet lose his life?” (Mark 8:36).

Reflect on your 2025 goals. How much are you prioritizing growing your new life in Christ in 2025? One way to prioritize the spiritual perspective is to commit to spending time with God daily in the Scripture and prayer. Set apart one part of your day to sit with God, hear from Him through studying Scripture, listen for His will, and talk to Him about your life.

Likewise, we need to see our neighbors from a spiritual perspective. Our neighbors might have money, health, and success. But if they don’t have a Jesus, they are still dead in their sins and trespasses. They are chasing after the wind and perishing. They need Jesus desperately, and we are the ones God has called to reach them.

To make new disciples, we must first see the spiritual landscape accurately. Do you see your neighbors through a spiritual perspective? One way to start seeing this way is by praying for them. Pray for them to know Jesus and experience new creation life. As part of your daily time with the Lord, pray for your lost neighbors.

This passage first shows that Gospel ambassadors should have a spiritual perspective. Second, I want you to notice that Gospel ambassadors know the message of reconciliation.

Paul explains the message of reconciliation through verses 18-21. In verses 18 and 19, Paul says, “Everything is from God who has reconciled us to himself through Christ… That is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them”. Then, in verse 21, Paul explains, “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.”

Reconciliation involves restoring a conflicted relationship. It’s the process of making peace between two parties at odds. We’ve all experienced reconciliation when we’ve had a falling out and had to work to restore a broken relationship. Maybe we had to apologize to someone for something we said or did, or maybe someone had to apologize to us for something they said or did. There was an offense, a breaking of a relationship, and then a restoration through reconciliation.

Regarding reconciliation with God, we are the party that offended a holy God with our sins and trespasses. The word reconciliation implies that before Christ, we are not reconciled. We need our relationship with Him to be restored. Paul explains what broke our relationship with God in verse 19–our trespasses. Trespasses are the decisions we make that disobey God’s commands.

It’s like a house with a sign saying no trespassing. If someone crosses that sign, they enter an area off-limits and enter conflict with the person who has authority over that property. We all trespass against God’s house—this world—when we disregard His commandments through selfishness, greed, lust, and idolatry. Our trespasses break our relationship with God and make us His enemies.

The message of reconciliation is the good news that God, the offended party, has provided everything needed to restore our relationship with Him. Notice in verse 18 that Paul says, “Everything is from God…” This means that we don’t have to earn reconciliation; everything is provided by God.

It’s like our friends who recently invited us over for a special breakfast. They made bacon, eggs, buttery toast, coffee, and pancakes with fresh peppermint whipped cream. It was a feast! We asked, “Can we bring anything?” They said, “No! We’ve got it all covered! It’s our treat!” Similarly, God has provided everything needed for reconciliation. It’s His gracious and merciful gift to sinners.

But what is the cost of our reconciliation with God? Paul says reconciliation comes through Christ. Verse 21 is the key to understanding the cost of reconciliation. Verse 21 says, “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.” God is a just God and must judge sin. If He doesn’t judge sin, He wouldn’t be a just and good God. But, then, how would we ever escape judgment for sin and be reconciled? Jesus, the sinless one, takes our sins upon Himself. On the cross Jesus bore the punishment for our trespasses so that we wouldn’t have to bear the punishment ourselves. Moreover, when we trust in Jesus, not only does He take our sin punishment, He gives us His righteousness. We are able to be in right relationship with God, because we are given Christ’s righteousness. In Christ, we are no longer enemies of God in our trespasses, but we become new creations–beloved children of God redeemed by the blood of Jesus! Praise God who has given us such an awesome gift!

So, Gospel ambassadors need to know the message of reconciliation that Paul explains clearly here. Do you know the Gospel? Could you explain the basic components of it to your neighbors? Perhaps your next step is to prepare yourself to be a good ambassador. We have a class coming up in February called Evangelism Equip: Share Jesus Without Fear. Steve Wright will teach through a book and help equip us to be competent at sharing the message of reconciliation. If you want to learn, plan to participate in that book study in February. Also, I want to suggest you get a copy of Evidence That Demands a Verdict by Josh and Sean McDowell. It’s a one stop encyclopedia for evidence for the Gospel and answering objections to the Christian faith. We live in a time where there are many objections to Christianity, this is an excellent resource for being prepared to represent Jesus well when people have questions and maybe even objections to our faith.

So, Gospel ambassadors have a spiritual perspective–looking not at outward appearances but at the heart, and they know the message of reconciliation–that God has provided reconciliation through Jesus. Lastly, notice in the passage that Gospel ambassadors are committed to sharing the message on Christ’s behalf.

In verse 20, Paul explains, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, ‘Be reconciled to God.'” Notice that we are God’s voice reaching out to the lost. God is “making his appeal through us.” We have the privilege and responsibility of representing Jesus to our community. Also, notice the word plead. Paul says, “We plead on Christ’s behalf”. The word plead means to make an earnest and passionate request.

Many years ago, Hadley and I were trying to buy a house, and there was a bidding war on the house we wanted. So, our realtor told us to write a letter to the seller making an emotional appeal to choose us. The seller had raised her family in the home and would want to give it to a family who would take good care of it. So, in the letter we described how beautiful we thought the house was, and how we could envision our kids growing up there playing basketball in the driveway. The letter made the difference and the seller chose us. In a similar way, we are called to make an earnest appeal to our neighbors on Christ’s behalf. Feel the gravity of this responsibility for a moment. The great love of God that drove Jesus to the cross is supposed to be embodied in our communication to our lost neighbors. “We plead on Christ’s behalf.”

I confess that I often don’t feel enough responsibility for representing Jesus to my neighbors. I’m focused on my world and my interests. I can make excuses. I’m busy. They don’t want to be bothered. There will be another time. I lack the zeal and passion to plead on Christ’s behalf and represent His love that drove Him to the cross. Maybe you know the same confession.

Thankfully, God is our strength and helper to overcome our weaknesses. We should ask God to empower us daily. In our own strength, we will fall short. But through prayerful dependence on God’s Spirit, we can be filled with the love of God to represent Him well. We are not alone in sharing God’s message. He is with us as we rely on Him.

As we wrap up, I want to challenge us to reach one person with the Gospel in 90 days. Who in your community doesn’t know the message of reconciliation in Jesus? Let’s commit to intentionally reaching one person for Jesus.

Here are three simple steps we can take in 90 days to reach one person with the Gospel. First, pray. Pray for spiritual perspective and to see the urgent need around you. Pray for the Spirit to fill you with the love of God for sinners. Second, eat. Invite your lost neighbors to coffee or dinner. Listen to their stories and find out what matters to them. Build sincere relationships like Jesus did with sinners. Lastly, share the message of the reconciliation in Christ. Plead with them on Christ’s behalf with respect and compassion.

If that last step feels daunting, consider how to prepare. Read a book with other believers and learn how to be a better ambassador. We will also support you through evangelism equip groups and upcoming invite Sundays.

Remember that our job isn’t to save anyone. We are responsible for sharing, not saving. We are ambassadors, not saviors. We plead with people on Christ’s behalf, but He alone saves by the power of His Spirit. We simply offer the message of reconciliation.

God has given us a new year of life. He has provided us with a great salvation in Jesus and the responsibility of sharing the message of reconciliation. If we live out this calling, then we will see new disciples come to follow Jesus. Let’s be faithful ambassadors and see how God brings Gospel transformation to Indian Land and beyond for the glory of Christ.