September 15, 2025 • 29 mins
Have you ever wondered why genuine Christians share their faith despite potential rejection or ridicule? The answer resonates throughout this powerful message: because we have been saved. Pastor Tim unpacks the profound connection between our salvation and our calling as Christ's ambassadors, revealing how the miracle of reconciliation transforms both our identity and our purpose.
Drawing from 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 and Matthew 28:18-20, Pastor Tim explains that when we trust in Christ, we become entirely new creations—not merely improved versions of ourselves. This supernatural transformation changes our desires, priorities, and direction. The phrase "in Christ" represents one of Scripture's most meaningful truths, signifying that we are accepted, justified, adopted, and secured for eternity.
But this reconciliation with God isn't just for our benefit. God doesn't just save us; He sends us. He doesn't just bless us; He commissions us as His ambassadors with the ministry of reconciliation. This divine assignment flows naturally from our gratitude for what Christ has done. We share the gospel not from a position of superiority but as one rescued sinner reaching out to another.
As Christ's ambassadors, we represent Jesus everywhere—to family, friends, coworkers, and strangers. When we speak the gospel, God speaks through us. When we share our testimony, we carry heaven's authority. The message we've been entrusted with is captured perfectly in 2 Corinthians 5:21: "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." This great exchange—Jesus taking our sin and giving us His righteousness—is the heart of the gospel.
Pastor Mann reminds us that evangelism isn't cold theology; it's a heartfelt plea. We're not trying to win arguments; we're pleading with souls. The Great Commission isn't optional or a side project—it's the core mission of every believer and every church. Your obedience to this calling might change someone's eternity.
Ready to embrace your identity as Christ's ambassador? Listen now to discover how the miracle of reconciliation can flow through you to others who desperately need to hear this life-changing message.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Foundations of Truth, the Bible
teaching ministry of PastorTimothy Mann and Providence
Church, ormond Beach, florida.
Providence Church is a localassembly of followers of Jesus
Christ dedicated to helpingpeople become committed and
mature followers of Jesus Christ.
Now here's Pastor Timothy Mannteaching the word 2 Corinthians
(00:23):
5, verse 17 through 21.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
I'm reading this morning from the New King James
version of the Bible.
The Bible says, therefore ifanyone is in Christ, he is a new
creation.
Old things have passed away.
Behold, all things have becomenew.
Now all things are of God, whohas reconciled us to himself
(00:47):
through Jesus Christ and hasgiven us the ministry of
reconciliation.
That is, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to
himself, not imputing theirtrespasses to them, and has
committed to us the word ofreconciliation.
Now, then, we are ambassadorsfor Christ, as though God were
(01:10):
pleading through us.
We implore you, on Christ'sbehalf, be reconciled to God,
for he made him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we
might become the righteousnessof God in him.
We'll stop there in 2Corinthians.
(01:30):
Go to Matthew 28.
Matthew 28.
We're going to pick up in verse18.
Matthew 28 and verse 18,.
The Bible says and Jesus cameand spoke to them, that is to
say, his disciples spoke to them, saying all authority has been
given to me in heaven and onearth.
Go, therefore, and makedisciples of all the nations,
(01:51):
baptizing them in the name ofthe Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit, teaching themto observe all things that I
have commanded you.
And lo, I am with you always,even to the end of the age.
Amen, we'll stop there.
This is god's word.
Here's a loaded question.
You don't have to answer back.
(02:12):
In fact, I'd prefer you didn't,because you might give me the
wrong answer.
Why do christians share thegospel?
Why do christians share thegospel assuming you do why do
christians share the gospel?
I mean, why take the risk ofawkward conversations, of
(02:32):
rejection or even a ridicule?
Why take that risk?
Why speak out in a world thatincreasingly urges, in fact even
demands, us to stay silent?
Why do that?
I really believe the answer issimple, and it's this because we
(02:53):
have been saved.
That's the answer.
Because we have been saved.
So if you are a genuineChristian and what I mean by
that when I say a genuineChristian, I'm talking about you
have been saved by God's grace,through faith in Jesus.
We've talked about it from thebeginning, now, all the way
through the table.
If you have been saved by God'sgrace, through faith in Jesus,
(03:14):
if you are a genuine Christian,we share the gospel not out of
guilt, but out of gratitude,because we're thankful.
We do it not to earn salvation,but because we have received it
.
We've received salvation as agift from God.
We don't want to win arguments.
In fact, if that's yourmotivator, then you need to
(03:35):
check yourself.
We don't want to win arguments.
We long to see othersreconciled to God just as we
have been.
Evangelism, which is sharing thegospel, telling the good news.
Evangelism isn't just a programor even a personality trait.
It's the natural result of anew life in Christ.
(03:56):
The Apostle Paul puts it thisway in 2 Corinthians 5.17.
He says, therefore if anyone isin Christ, he is a new creation
.
Old things have passed away.
Behold, all things have becomenew.
And then in the next verses, in18 through 20, he explains why
that matters.
God has reconciled us tohimself through jesus, and now
(04:21):
he has entrusted us with themessage of reconciliation.
So we're not just saved, we'resent.
We're sent, we're not justblessed, although we are, aren't
we?
We're not just blessed, we aremade ambassadors for Christ, the
Bible.
Jesus said the same thing inMatthew 28.
(04:42):
He said go, therefore, and makedisciples of all the nations.
And so my proposal this morning, because of the truth of God's
word, is that those Christ hassaved are called to be his
ambassadors, joyfully sharingthe gospel so others can be
reconciled to God.
So let's lean in today toremember what Christ has done
(05:06):
for us and what he wants to dothrough us.
So let's begin by looking againat 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17 and
18.
We're going to see here thismiracle, really, of
reconciliation.
Let's read it again, verse 17,look at it, it it.
It says, therefore, if anyoneis in christ, he is a new
creation.
(05:26):
Old things have passed away.
Behold that's.
Look, pay attention to this.
All things have become new.
Now all things are of god, whohas reconciled us to himself
through jesus christ and hasgiven us the ministry of
reconciliation.
So before we're ever called tobe Christ's ambassadors, we have
(05:46):
to understand the miracle ofwhat he's done in us.
You can't share what you don'tfirst possess, right, you can't
share what you don't firstpossess.
You can't invite someone into anew life unless you've
experienced it yourself.
And so he says this about thismiracle.
(06:07):
He says in Christ we're madenew.
Paul says if anyone is inChrist, he is a new creation,
not improved, not remodeled, notjust forgiven, made new.
This is the miracle ofregeneration, that big bible
word that we've talked aboutalready, that spiritual
(06:28):
transformation that weexperience and we explored that
in a previous message in thisseries.
When we are born again, then wereceive a new start and a new
heart.
What happens is our desireschange.
Our desires change, ourpriorities change, our identity
changes and our directionchanges.
(06:50):
And this isn't superficial,this is supernatural.
The Bible says here old thingshave passed away.
That's the old self that isruled by sin, that is ruled by
sin, that is ruled by guilt andthat has separation from God.
(07:10):
That old self is gone.
And the Bible says all thingshave become new.
That's all things in your life.
All things have become new.
You are now united with Christ,you are now indwelt by the Holy
Spirit of God and you are nowsealed with eternal hope.
And so you are made new whenyou are saved and in Christ.
(07:36):
It was only to say we see herein this passage that
reconciliation is the work ofGod.
He says now, all things are ofGod, who has reconciled us to
himself.
So the Apostle Paul herereminds us that God did this.
God did this.
This wasn't our initiative, itwas his.
All things are of him.
(07:59):
Reconciliation begins with God,not us, and so the word
reconcile in this context.
Sometimes to reconcile means tokind of balance the books.
That's really not the idea here.
The word reconcile in thiscontext means to restore a
broken relationship.
It means to go from alienationto friendship.
(08:20):
It means to go from enemies tochildren of God.
What a wonderful thing.
Romans, chapter 5, verse 10,says when we were enemies, we
were reconciled to God throughthe death of his son.
You might say I've never beenan enemy of God.
God says you were.
He says you were, and we didn'tclimb back to God.
(08:42):
He came down to us.
We were separated from himbecause of our sin and our
rebellion, but through Jesus Godbrought peace.
So Jesus died on the cross asthe payment for our sins and he
rose again from the dead to giveeternal life to all who believe
in him.
And because of that we can bereconciled to god.
(09:05):
And this isn't just aboutremoving hostility, it's about
restoring the relationship.
Reconciliation in salvation isa work of god, and what we find
out as we read this passage isthat this changes everything
about our identity.
The Apostle Paul uses a keyphrase in Christ.
(09:27):
In fact, this is one of themost meaningful phrases in all
of the New Testament.
It's used over and over If youare in Christ, you are accepted
by the Father, you are justifiedwith God.
By faith in Jesus, you areadopted into God's family, you
are empowered by the Spirit andyou are secured for eternity.
(09:48):
And that identity fuels yourmission.
It fuels your mission becauseyou're not sharing Christ as one
who has it all together,because I'll tell you you don't.
You may try to fake it till youmake it, but God knows If
nobody else knows.
(10:09):
And if you're married, Ipromise you your spouse knows,
they know something.
You don't have it all together.
You're not sharing Christ asone who has it all together, but
you're sharing Christ assomeone who has been made new by
the grace of God.
Right, and that's whyevangelism again, which simply
means telling the good news.
(10:29):
That's why evangelism isn't aguilt-driven duty, it's a
grace-driven privilege, becausethe more you remember when you
really begin to think on it andyou understand who you are, the
more you remember what God hasdone for you, the more you
naturally want to share withothers.
(10:50):
Your identity has been changedby salvation.
It goes on to say look at this,we're not only reconciled, but
we're also assigned.
It says and has given to us theministry of reconciliation.
This is incredible, because thesame god who reconciles us and
(11:10):
who has reconciled us now sendsus to share that reconciliation.
You aren't just a recipient,you are a representative.
You aren't just saved you, youare sent.
God didn't reconcile you justto secure your place in heaven.
(11:31):
He gave you a mission here onearth and he didn't assign that
task to the angels.
He gave it to us, the church,to every believer, everyone who
has been made new by God's grace, through faith in Jesus.
This is your assignment fromGod.
(11:52):
Imagine a man drowning in theocean.
We're here at the ocean.
Imagine that.
Imagine a man drowning in theocean Now let's put a spiritual
perspective on it Pulled underby the waves of sin and guilt
and shame.
Then a rescuer dives in andpulls him out and revives him
(12:19):
and saves his life.
Now imagine that man beingtrained and sent back to assist
others.
The saved individual rememberswhat it felt like to sink.
He understands the terror andnow he approaches others Not
(12:40):
with arrogance but withcompassion, with understanding
what that felt like.
And that's really just whatevangelism is.
It's one rescued sinnerreaching for another.
One rescued sinner reaching foranother.
That's what the ministry ofreconciliation looks like, and
(13:01):
this is your mission.
It's your mission, but firstdon't miss the order New life
first, first then mission.
New life first, then mission.
I think the point this point iscrucial, because god reconciles
first and then he commissions.
Because you are not sentbecause you are deserving.
(13:25):
You're sent because you areredeemed, and I want to
encourage you this way thismorning.
You don't have to wait untilyou have everything figured out,
because you're never going tohave everything figured out.
You don't have to wait untilyou have everything figured out.
If you're in christ, then youyou've been made new and sent.
(13:45):
You are qualified this morningfor ministry because you've been
changed by grace and and theworld.
This world needs to hear frompeople who have been truly
transformed, not by religion butby real salvation from god, not
with pride andself-righteousness, but with
(14:06):
humility and gratitude for thegrace of God towards you.
So this morning, remember whatGod has done for you, remember
that you are a new creation, andso let your testimony overflow
as you share the gospel.
Don't keep the good news toyourself.
You don't need to wait untilyou're a theologian or a Bible
(14:29):
expert to share with others.
You've been reconciled to God,and so tell others what Christ
has done in your life.
But listen, if you are notsaved and you're sitting in this
room, I mean if you are notgenuinely, truly a follower of
Jesus I want you to know thismorning that God is not waiting
(14:51):
for you to climb up to Him.
He has come to you throughJesus.
He has come through His deathon the cross for your sins and
His resurrection from the deadso that you can have eternal
life from God.
And today you can be reconciled, you can be made new, you can
be made whole.
You can be made His if you willrepent.
Made whole, you can be made Hisif you will repent of your sin
(15:12):
and savingly believe on Jesus.
Do that, do it now.
Do it now.
Well, so far we've seen themiracle of reconciliation, how
God makes us new and restoresour relationship with him.
But this miracle isn't justpersonal, it's missional,
(15:36):
because we see the message herenow that we're to proclaim, not
just the miracle ofreconciliation.
We see that we see the gospelof reconciliation, this message
god doesn't just save us, hegives us a message to take, to
proclaim.
Let's read 2nd Corinthians 5,19 through 21, 19 through 21.
That is, that God was in Christreconciling the world to
(16:00):
himself, not imputing that is tosay putting to their account,
crediting, not imputing theirtrespasses to them and is
committed to us.
Now the word of reconciliation.
Now, then, we are ambassadorsfor Christ, as though God were
pleading through us.
We implore you, on Christ'sbehalf, be reconciled to God,
(16:20):
for he made Him meaning God theFather, made Him God the Son,
who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him.
This is the message.
The message is that God was inChrist reconciling the world to
Himself.
The gospel is not about how wefind our way to God, but how God
(16:44):
came to us in Christ.
That's the gospel.
God was in Christ reconcilingthe world to himself.
If you don't know this morningfor sure who Jesus is, you need
to know that he wasn't just agood man, he wasn't just a wise
teacher.
He was God in human flesh, sentto reconcile sinners to himself
(17:05):
, and so that means that thegospel is God-centered from
start to finish.
God sent, god pursued, godreconciled, god saves.
Evangelism, or sharing thegospel, as we would say,
evangelism isn't about promotinga religious option.
(17:26):
It's about proclaiming the onlyway to be reconciled to God,
and that's through Jesus Christ.
And this is the message.
And so is this that God doesnot count our sin against us.
It says not imputing theirtrespasses to them.
This is the core of the goodnews, this is the core of the
(17:48):
gospel.
God doesn't ignore our sin, hedoesn't just dismiss it.
What he does in the gospel ishe takes it away.
He doesn't pretend we'reinnocent, we're guilty, you're
guilty.
So he doesn't turn a blind eyeand pretend that you're innocent
(18:09):
.
Instead, what he does is hedeclares us righteous when we
trust in Jesus because Jesuspaid our debt that we owe God
because of our sin.
That's justification by faith.
And when that happens, god nolonger counts our sin against us
when we believe on Christ,because Christ took it for us.
(18:32):
The Bible says in Psalm 103, 12,.
It says as far as the east isfrom the west, do west, do east
and west ever meet?
North and south?
You go.
You go north long enough,sooner or later.
What You're going to be goingsouth, you're going to go south
long enough.
Sooner or later you're going tobe going north, unless you're
one of those wacky people thatbelieves in flat earth.
(18:54):
I'm just saying that's thedumbest thing I've ever heard.
If that's you.
I'm sorry it hurts yourfeelings, but that's a dumb idea
.
The Bible says otherwise.
You head north, sooner or lateryou're going to be heading
south.
But if you head east, are youever going to head west?
Nope, you're always going to beheading east.
(19:14):
If you head west, are you evergoing to head east?
No, you're going to always beheading west.
Now, janet might.
She's directionally challenged,I don't know.
You can ask her about her storylater.
Right, I'm grateful thismorning that the Bible says that
as far as the east is from thewest, so far has he removed my
(19:36):
transgressions from me.
Yeah, yeah, and we declare thismessage.
And the message is you don'tneed to carry your guilt.
Your sins can be forgiven, yourrecord can be erased.
God is not counting your sinagainst you.
(19:58):
If you are in fact in christ, ifyou are saved, what else does
the bible say?
The bible says here that wehave been entrusted with the
message and committed to us theword of reconciliation.
This is an amazing truth thatGod has entrusted us with this
(20:19):
saving message.
He didn't write it in theclouds, he didn't give it to the
angels, he didn't send itthrough the angels.
No, he gave it to redeemedpeople.
Sinners turned saints, which,by the way, does not mean
perfect.
It's actually what God callsHis children.
Every Christian is a saint, andhe gave it to us to proclaim it
(20:41):
to the world.
And this, the word ofreconciliation, is the gospel.
It's this.
Christ died for our sins, hewas buried, he rose again, and
everyone who repents andbelieves will be reconciled to
god.
That's the message, and it's amessage that we must know, and
(21:03):
it's a message that we must loveand it's a message that we must
proclaim.
Why?
Well, because we're ambassadorsfor christ.
Look what it says.
Now, then, we are ambassadorsfor christ, as though god were
pleading through us.
An ambassador speaks on behalfof the one who sent him, a king,
(21:24):
a president.
An ambassador speaks on behalfof their country, their kingdom.
They don't deliver theirmessage.
They deliver the king's messageand, as christians, we're not
just witnesses, although it'spart of it.
We are representatives.
We're ambassadors, we'rerepresentatives.
So you know what that means.
(21:44):
Don't you think about itpersonally?
Here you, you are representingJesus to your family.
How's that going?
You're representing Jesus toyour friends.
You're representing Jesus toyour co-workers.
You're representing Jesus toyour fellow students at school.
(22:07):
You're representing Jesus toyour children, to your
grandchildren, to random peopleyou meet, you are representing
Jesus.
When you walk out that door andyou carry the name Christian,
you're representing Jesus, notyourself, not even this church.
(22:27):
First and foremost, you'rerepresenting Jesus.
How'd that go this past week?
How'd it go yesterday?
Maybe some of y'all need toanswer the truth and say how'd
it go this morning?
Even You're representing Jesusto your wife.
You're representing Jesus toyour husband.
You're representing Jesus tofellow church members.
(22:47):
You're representing Jesus tothe cashier at Walmart or, if
you're lucky enough to get oneof those people now, these days,
you're representing christ asan ambassador of him, every
single place you go.
If you say you're a christian,don't carry his name in vain,
don't use the Lord's name invain, and when we speak on
(23:16):
behalf of Christ, the Savior,the Lord, the Messiah, we're
speaking on his behalf to aworld that desperately needs to
hear him.
When we actually speak, thegospel, god is speaking through
us.
When we share our testimony, wecarry heaven's authority.
When we plead with someone tobelieve, christ's heart pleads
through us, and that should giveus both confidence and it
(23:40):
should give us urgency.
You are an ambassador for Jesus, the King of kings.
How are you representing?
What do we do?
Look at the Bible.
We plead Be reconciled to God.
He says we implore you onChrist's behalf, be reconciled
(24:01):
to God.
I want you to hear me well.
Evangelism isn't just coldtheology.
In fact, it should never bethat.
It should never be coldtheology.
Instead, it's a heartfelt plea.
The Apostle Paul didn't say wesuggest you study the doctrines.
(24:23):
No, he said we implore you onChrist's behalf.
We implore you, we beg, we urge, we plead.
He didn't say we want to teachyou the mystery of the
sovereignty of God in salvation.
No, he said be reconciled toGod, be reconciled to God.
(24:47):
He calls on them to dosomething.
Be reconciled to God.
Why?
Why would he say be reconciledto God?
Because eternity is on the line, because hell exists, because
people are dying without Christ,because every single person's
most crucial need is to bereconciled with their Creator.
(25:07):
That's your mother, that's yourfather, that's your grandkids,
that's everybody you come acrossin the path of your life.
And this isn't manipulation.
When you you say be reconciledto christ, be reconciled to god,
that's not manipulation, it'scompassion.
We're not trying to winarguments or or teach systematic
(25:30):
theology.
We're pleading with souls.
We're calling on them torespond to god.
You're calling for the verdict.
Let me tell you this if youshare the gospel with somebody
and you never tell them whatthey should do in response to it
, that's an incomplete witness.
(25:52):
Then we say look at the lastverse.
I want to get to Matthew 28 fora minute.
Look at verse 21.
This is the gospel in onesentence.
For he made him, who knew nosin, to be sin for us, that we
might become the righteousnessof God in him, verse 21.
For he made him, who knew nosin, to be sin for us, that we
might become the righteousnessof God in him.
(26:12):
This is, I think, one of theclearest summaries of the gospel
in the entire Bible.
He made him God the FatherBible.
He made Him God.
The Father sent God the Son,who knew no sin.
Jesus was perfectly holy andsinless in every way To be sin
for us.
He became our substitute,bearing our guilt on the cross,
(26:34):
that we might become therighteousness of God.
He took our sin and we receiveHis righteousness.
This is the great exchange andit is the foundation of our
message.
This is the message that wedeliver Not behavior improvement
, not religious rules, not moraleffort, but reconciliation
(26:55):
through Jesus Christ.
So remember the message thismorning.
Remember the message.
You've been entrusted with thegospel.
If you're saved, if you're inchrist, understand it, speak it
confidently, share itcourageously.
Your obedience might changesomeone's eternity.
(27:19):
You might not know all thetheology yet, but you know Jesus
, so share what he's done foryou.
You're already an ambassador.
And again, look, if you'restill an unbeliever, you're
still lost, you're still notsaved, then this message is for
(27:39):
you.
God is not counting your sinsagainst you if you trust christ.
If you trust christ, bereconciled to god.
So we've witnessed the miracleof reconciliation.
We've we've discovered themessage that we've been given to
share.
(28:00):
Now I want us to turn to thefinal part of our calling, and
that's the mission that we're toembrace matthew 28, because
this isn't just for pastors,this isn't just for missionaries
, this isn't just forevangelists.
And the great commission isn'toptional.
It's not.
It's not the great suggestionand the Great Commission isn't
optional.
It's not the Great Suggestion.
(28:21):
It's not optional.
It's not a side project for thechurch.
In fact, it's the heart ofChrist's plan for the world.
In fact it's the mission.
If any entity that calls itselfa church names the name of
Jesus and takes on anything elseas its primary mission, then
(28:46):
it's not behaving as a biblicalchurch, but the primary ministry
, the mission of you and us andthe church is this mission.
It's the mission.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word
of God stands forever.
That's Isaiah 48.
Thanks for tuning into theFoundations of Truth podcast
with Pastor Timothy Mann fromProvidence Church in Ormond
Beach, Florida.
Join us next time and untilthen, keep building your life on
God's eternal truth, the Bible.
Welcome to Foundations of Truth, the Bible
teaching ministry of PastorTimothy Mann and Providence
Church, ormond Beach, florida.
Providence Church is a localassembly of followers of Jesus
Christ dedicated to helpingpeople become committed and
mature followers of Jesus Christ.
Now here's Pastor Timothy Mannteaching the word 2 Corinthians
(00:23):
5, verse 17 through 21.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
I'm reading this morning from the New King James
version of the Bible.
The Bible says, therefore ifanyone is in Christ, he is a new
creation.
Old things have passed away.
Behold, all things have becomenew.
Now all things are of God, whohas reconciled us to himself
(00:47):
through Jesus Christ and hasgiven us the ministry of
reconciliation.
That is, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to
himself, not imputing theirtrespasses to them, and has
committed to us the word ofreconciliation.
Now, then, we are ambassadorsfor Christ, as though God were
(01:10):
pleading through us.
We implore you, on Christ'sbehalf, be reconciled to God,
for he made him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we
might become the righteousnessof God in him.
We'll stop there in 2Corinthians.
(01:30):
Go to Matthew 28.
Matthew 28.
We're going to pick up in verse18.
Matthew 28 and verse 18,.
The Bible says and Jesus cameand spoke to them, that is to
say, his disciples spoke to them, saying all authority has been
given to me in heaven and onearth.
Go, therefore, and makedisciples of all the nations,
(01:51):
baptizing them in the name ofthe Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit, teaching themto observe all things that I
have commanded you.
And lo, I am with you always,even to the end of the age.
Amen, we'll stop there.
This is god's word.
Here's a loaded question.
You don't have to answer back.
(02:12):
In fact, I'd prefer you didn't,because you might give me the
wrong answer.
Why do christians share thegospel?
Why do christians share thegospel assuming you do why do
christians share the gospel?
I mean, why take the risk ofawkward conversations, of
(02:32):
rejection or even a ridicule?
Why take that risk?
Why speak out in a world thatincreasingly urges, in fact even
demands, us to stay silent?
Why do that?
I really believe the answer issimple, and it's this because we
(02:53):
have been saved.
That's the answer.
Because we have been saved.
So if you are a genuineChristian and what I mean by
that when I say a genuineChristian, I'm talking about you
have been saved by God's grace,through faith in Jesus.
We've talked about it from thebeginning, now, all the way
through the table.
If you have been saved by God'sgrace, through faith in Jesus,
(03:14):
if you are a genuine Christian,we share the gospel not out of
guilt, but out of gratitude,because we're thankful.
We do it not to earn salvation,but because we have received it
.
We've received salvation as agift from God.
We don't want to win arguments.
In fact, if that's yourmotivator, then you need to
(03:35):
check yourself.
We don't want to win arguments.
We long to see othersreconciled to God just as we
have been.
Evangelism, which is sharing thegospel, telling the good news.
Evangelism isn't just a programor even a personality trait.
It's the natural result of anew life in Christ.
(03:56):
The Apostle Paul puts it thisway in 2 Corinthians 5.17.
He says, therefore if anyone isin Christ, he is a new creation
.
Old things have passed away.
Behold, all things have becomenew.
And then in the next verses, in18 through 20, he explains why
that matters.
God has reconciled us tohimself through jesus, and now
(04:21):
he has entrusted us with themessage of reconciliation.
So we're not just saved, we'resent.
We're sent, we're not justblessed, although we are, aren't
we?
We're not just blessed, we aremade ambassadors for Christ, the
Bible.
Jesus said the same thing inMatthew 28.
(04:42):
He said go, therefore, and makedisciples of all the nations.
And so my proposal this morning, because of the truth of God's
word, is that those Christ hassaved are called to be his
ambassadors, joyfully sharingthe gospel so others can be
reconciled to God.
So let's lean in today toremember what Christ has done
(05:06):
for us and what he wants to dothrough us.
So let's begin by looking againat 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17 and
18.
We're going to see here thismiracle, really, of
reconciliation.
Let's read it again, verse 17,look at it, it it.
It says, therefore, if anyoneis in christ, he is a new
creation.
(05:26):
Old things have passed away.
Behold that's.
Look, pay attention to this.
All things have become new.
Now all things are of god, whohas reconciled us to himself
through jesus christ and hasgiven us the ministry of
reconciliation.
So before we're ever called tobe Christ's ambassadors, we have
(05:46):
to understand the miracle ofwhat he's done in us.
You can't share what you don'tfirst possess, right, you can't
share what you don't firstpossess.
You can't invite someone into anew life unless you've
experienced it yourself.
And so he says this about thismiracle.
(06:07):
He says in Christ we're madenew.
Paul says if anyone is inChrist, he is a new creation,
not improved, not remodeled, notjust forgiven, made new.
This is the miracle ofregeneration, that big bible
word that we've talked aboutalready, that spiritual
(06:28):
transformation that weexperience and we explored that
in a previous message in thisseries.
When we are born again, then wereceive a new start and a new
heart.
What happens is our desireschange.
Our desires change, ourpriorities change, our identity
changes and our directionchanges.
(06:50):
And this isn't superficial,this is supernatural.
The Bible says here old thingshave passed away.
That's the old self that isruled by sin, that is ruled by
sin, that is ruled by guilt andthat has separation from God.
(07:10):
That old self is gone.
And the Bible says all thingshave become new.
That's all things in your life.
All things have become new.
You are now united with Christ,you are now indwelt by the Holy
Spirit of God and you are nowsealed with eternal hope.
And so you are made new whenyou are saved and in Christ.
(07:36):
It was only to say we see herein this passage that
reconciliation is the work ofGod.
He says now, all things are ofGod, who has reconciled us to
himself.
So the Apostle Paul herereminds us that God did this.
God did this.
This wasn't our initiative, itwas his.
All things are of him.
(07:59):
Reconciliation begins with God,not us, and so the word
reconcile in this context.
Sometimes to reconcile means tokind of balance the books.
That's really not the idea here.
The word reconcile in thiscontext means to restore a
broken relationship.
It means to go from alienationto friendship.
(08:20):
It means to go from enemies tochildren of God.
What a wonderful thing.
Romans, chapter 5, verse 10,says when we were enemies, we
were reconciled to God throughthe death of his son.
You might say I've never beenan enemy of God.
God says you were.
He says you were, and we didn'tclimb back to God.
(08:42):
He came down to us.
We were separated from himbecause of our sin and our
rebellion, but through Jesus Godbrought peace.
So Jesus died on the cross asthe payment for our sins and he
rose again from the dead to giveeternal life to all who believe
in him.
And because of that we can bereconciled to god.
(09:05):
And this isn't just aboutremoving hostility, it's about
restoring the relationship.
Reconciliation in salvation isa work of god, and what we find
out as we read this passage isthat this changes everything
about our identity.
The Apostle Paul uses a keyphrase in Christ.
(09:27):
In fact, this is one of themost meaningful phrases in all
of the New Testament.
It's used over and over If youare in Christ, you are accepted
by the Father, you are justifiedwith God.
By faith in Jesus, you areadopted into God's family, you
are empowered by the Spirit andyou are secured for eternity.
(09:48):
And that identity fuels yourmission.
It fuels your mission becauseyou're not sharing Christ as one
who has it all together,because I'll tell you you don't.
You may try to fake it till youmake it, but God knows If
nobody else knows.
(10:09):
And if you're married, Ipromise you your spouse knows,
they know something.
You don't have it all together.
You're not sharing Christ asone who has it all together, but
you're sharing Christ assomeone who has been made new by
the grace of God.
Right, and that's whyevangelism again, which simply
means telling the good news.
(10:29):
That's why evangelism isn't aguilt-driven duty, it's a
grace-driven privilege, becausethe more you remember when you
really begin to think on it andyou understand who you are, the
more you remember what God hasdone for you, the more you
naturally want to share withothers.
(10:50):
Your identity has been changedby salvation.
It goes on to say look at this,we're not only reconciled, but
we're also assigned.
It says and has given to us theministry of reconciliation.
This is incredible, because thesame god who reconciles us and
(11:10):
who has reconciled us now sendsus to share that reconciliation.
You aren't just a recipient,you are a representative.
You aren't just saved you, youare sent.
God didn't reconcile you justto secure your place in heaven.
(11:31):
He gave you a mission here onearth and he didn't assign that
task to the angels.
He gave it to us, the church,to every believer, everyone who
has been made new by God's grace, through faith in Jesus.
This is your assignment fromGod.
(11:52):
Imagine a man drowning in theocean.
We're here at the ocean.
Imagine that.
Imagine a man drowning in theocean Now let's put a spiritual
perspective on it Pulled underby the waves of sin and guilt
and shame.
Then a rescuer dives in andpulls him out and revives him
(12:19):
and saves his life.
Now imagine that man beingtrained and sent back to assist
others.
The saved individual rememberswhat it felt like to sink.
He understands the terror andnow he approaches others Not
(12:40):
with arrogance but withcompassion, with understanding
what that felt like.
And that's really just whatevangelism is.
It's one rescued sinnerreaching for another.
One rescued sinner reaching foranother.
That's what the ministry ofreconciliation looks like, and
(13:01):
this is your mission.
It's your mission, but firstdon't miss the order New life
first, first then mission.
New life first, then mission.
I think the point this point iscrucial, because god reconciles
first and then he commissions.
Because you are not sentbecause you are deserving.
(13:25):
You're sent because you areredeemed, and I want to
encourage you this way thismorning.
You don't have to wait untilyou have everything figured out,
because you're never going tohave everything figured out.
You don't have to wait untilyou have everything figured out.
If you're in christ, then youyou've been made new and sent.
(13:45):
You are qualified this morningfor ministry because you've been
changed by grace and and theworld.
This world needs to hear frompeople who have been truly
transformed, not by religion butby real salvation from god, not
with pride andself-righteousness, but with
(14:06):
humility and gratitude for thegrace of God towards you.
So this morning, remember whatGod has done for you, remember
that you are a new creation, andso let your testimony overflow
as you share the gospel.
Don't keep the good news toyourself.
You don't need to wait untilyou're a theologian or a Bible
(14:29):
expert to share with others.
You've been reconciled to God,and so tell others what Christ
has done in your life.
But listen, if you are notsaved and you're sitting in this
room, I mean if you are notgenuinely, truly a follower of
Jesus I want you to know thismorning that God is not waiting
(14:51):
for you to climb up to Him.
He has come to you throughJesus.
He has come through His deathon the cross for your sins and
His resurrection from the deadso that you can have eternal
life from God.
And today you can be reconciled, you can be made new, you can
be made whole.
You can be made His if you willrepent.
Made whole, you can be made Hisif you will repent of your sin
(15:12):
and savingly believe on Jesus.
Do that, do it now.
Do it now.
Well, so far we've seen themiracle of reconciliation, how
God makes us new and restoresour relationship with him.
But this miracle isn't justpersonal, it's missional,
(15:36):
because we see the message herenow that we're to proclaim, not
just the miracle ofreconciliation.
We see that we see the gospelof reconciliation, this message
god doesn't just save us, hegives us a message to take, to
proclaim.
Let's read 2nd Corinthians 5,19 through 21, 19 through 21.
That is, that God was in Christreconciling the world to
(16:00):
himself, not imputing that is tosay putting to their account,
crediting, not imputing theirtrespasses to them and is
committed to us.
Now the word of reconciliation.
Now, then, we are ambassadorsfor Christ, as though God were
pleading through us.
We implore you, on Christ'sbehalf, be reconciled to God,
(16:20):
for he made Him meaning God theFather, made Him God the Son,
who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him.
This is the message.
The message is that God was inChrist reconciling the world to
Himself.
The gospel is not about how wefind our way to God, but how God
(16:44):
came to us in Christ.
That's the gospel.
God was in Christ reconcilingthe world to himself.
If you don't know this morningfor sure who Jesus is, you need
to know that he wasn't just agood man, he wasn't just a wise
teacher.
He was God in human flesh, sentto reconcile sinners to himself
(17:05):
, and so that means that thegospel is God-centered from
start to finish.
God sent, god pursued, godreconciled, god saves.
Evangelism, or sharing thegospel, as we would say,
evangelism isn't about promotinga religious option.
(17:26):
It's about proclaiming the onlyway to be reconciled to God,
and that's through Jesus Christ.
And this is the message.
And so is this that God doesnot count our sin against us.
It says not imputing theirtrespasses to them.
This is the core of the goodnews, this is the core of the
(17:48):
gospel.
God doesn't ignore our sin, hedoesn't just dismiss it.
What he does in the gospel ishe takes it away.
He doesn't pretend we'reinnocent, we're guilty, you're
guilty.
So he doesn't turn a blind eyeand pretend that you're innocent
(18:09):
.
Instead, what he does is hedeclares us righteous when we
trust in Jesus because Jesuspaid our debt that we owe God
because of our sin.
That's justification by faith.
And when that happens, god nolonger counts our sin against us
when we believe on Christ,because Christ took it for us.
(18:32):
The Bible says in Psalm 103, 12,.
It says as far as the east isfrom the west, do west, do east
and west ever meet?
North and south?
You go.
You go north long enough,sooner or later.
What You're going to be goingsouth, you're going to go south
long enough.
Sooner or later you're going tobe going north, unless you're
one of those wacky people thatbelieves in flat earth.
(18:54):
I'm just saying that's thedumbest thing I've ever heard.
If that's you.
I'm sorry it hurts yourfeelings, but that's a dumb idea
.
The Bible says otherwise.
You head north, sooner or lateryou're going to be heading
south.
But if you head east, are youever going to head west?
Nope, you're always going to beheading east.
(19:14):
If you head west, are you evergoing to head east?
No, you're going to always beheading west.
Now, janet might.
She's directionally challenged,I don't know.
You can ask her about her storylater.
Right, I'm grateful thismorning that the Bible says that
as far as the east is from thewest, so far has he removed my
(19:36):
transgressions from me.
Yeah, yeah, and we declare thismessage.
And the message is you don'tneed to carry your guilt.
Your sins can be forgiven, yourrecord can be erased.
God is not counting your sinagainst you.
(19:58):
If you are in fact in christ, ifyou are saved, what else does
the bible say?
The bible says here that wehave been entrusted with the
message and committed to us theword of reconciliation.
This is an amazing truth thatGod has entrusted us with this
(20:19):
saving message.
He didn't write it in theclouds, he didn't give it to the
angels, he didn't send itthrough the angels.
No, he gave it to redeemedpeople.
Sinners turned saints, which,by the way, does not mean
perfect.
It's actually what God callsHis children.
Every Christian is a saint, andhe gave it to us to proclaim it
(20:41):
to the world.
And this, the word ofreconciliation, is the gospel.
It's this.
Christ died for our sins, hewas buried, he rose again, and
everyone who repents andbelieves will be reconciled to
god.
That's the message, and it's amessage that we must know, and
(21:03):
it's a message that we must loveand it's a message that we must
proclaim.
Why?
Well, because we're ambassadorsfor christ.
Look what it says.
Now, then, we are ambassadorsfor christ, as though god were
pleading through us.
An ambassador speaks on behalfof the one who sent him, a king,
(21:24):
a president.
An ambassador speaks on behalfof their country, their kingdom.
They don't deliver theirmessage.
They deliver the king's messageand, as christians, we're not
just witnesses, although it'spart of it.
We are representatives.
We're ambassadors, we'rerepresentatives.
So you know what that means.
(21:44):
Don't you think about itpersonally?
Here you, you are representingJesus to your family.
How's that going?
You're representing Jesus toyour friends.
You're representing Jesus toyour co-workers.
You're representing Jesus toyour fellow students at school.
(22:07):
You're representing Jesus toyour children, to your
grandchildren, to random peopleyou meet, you are representing
Jesus.
When you walk out that door andyou carry the name Christian,
you're representing Jesus, notyourself, not even this church.
(22:27):
First and foremost, you'rerepresenting Jesus.
How'd that go this past week?
How'd it go yesterday?
Maybe some of y'all need toanswer the truth and say how'd
it go this morning?
Even You're representing Jesusto your wife.
You're representing Jesus toyour husband.
You're representing Jesus tofellow church members.
(22:47):
You're representing Jesus tothe cashier at Walmart or, if
you're lucky enough to get oneof those people now, these days,
you're representing christ asan ambassador of him, every
single place you go.
If you say you're a christian,don't carry his name in vain,
don't use the Lord's name invain, and when we speak on
(23:16):
behalf of Christ, the Savior,the Lord, the Messiah, we're
speaking on his behalf to aworld that desperately needs to
hear him.
When we actually speak, thegospel, god is speaking through
us.
When we share our testimony, wecarry heaven's authority.
When we plead with someone tobelieve, christ's heart pleads
through us, and that should giveus both confidence and it
(23:40):
should give us urgency.
You are an ambassador for Jesus, the King of kings.
How are you representing?
What do we do?
Look at the Bible.
We plead Be reconciled to God.
He says we implore you onChrist's behalf, be reconciled
(24:01):
to God.
I want you to hear me well.
Evangelism isn't just coldtheology.
In fact, it should never bethat.
It should never be coldtheology.
Instead, it's a heartfelt plea.
The Apostle Paul didn't say wesuggest you study the doctrines.
(24:23):
No, he said we implore you onChrist's behalf.
We implore you, we beg, we urge, we plead.
He didn't say we want to teachyou the mystery of the
sovereignty of God in salvation.
No, he said be reconciled toGod, be reconciled to God.
(24:47):
He calls on them to dosomething.
Be reconciled to God.
Why?
Why would he say be reconciledto God?
Because eternity is on the line, because hell exists, because
people are dying without Christ,because every single person's
most crucial need is to bereconciled with their Creator.
(25:07):
That's your mother, that's yourfather, that's your grandkids,
that's everybody you come acrossin the path of your life.
And this isn't manipulation.
When you you say be reconciledto christ, be reconciled to god,
that's not manipulation, it'scompassion.
We're not trying to winarguments or or teach systematic
(25:30):
theology.
We're pleading with souls.
We're calling on them torespond to god.
You're calling for the verdict.
Let me tell you this if youshare the gospel with somebody
and you never tell them whatthey should do in response to it
, that's an incomplete witness.
(25:52):
Then we say look at the lastverse.
I want to get to Matthew 28 fora minute.
Look at verse 21.
This is the gospel in onesentence.
For he made him, who knew nosin, to be sin for us, that we
might become the righteousnessof God in him, verse 21.
For he made him, who knew nosin, to be sin for us, that we
might become the righteousnessof God in him.
(26:12):
This is, I think, one of theclearest summaries of the gospel
in the entire Bible.
He made him God the FatherBible.
He made Him God.
The Father sent God the Son,who knew no sin.
Jesus was perfectly holy andsinless in every way To be sin
for us.
He became our substitute,bearing our guilt on the cross,
(26:34):
that we might become therighteousness of God.
He took our sin and we receiveHis righteousness.
This is the great exchange andit is the foundation of our
message.
This is the message that wedeliver Not behavior improvement
, not religious rules, not moraleffort, but reconciliation
(26:55):
through Jesus Christ.
So remember the message thismorning.
Remember the message.
You've been entrusted with thegospel.
If you're saved, if you're inchrist, understand it, speak it
confidently, share itcourageously.
Your obedience might changesomeone's eternity.
(27:19):
You might not know all thetheology yet, but you know Jesus
, so share what he's done foryou.
You're already an ambassador.
And again, look, if you'restill an unbeliever, you're
still lost, you're still notsaved, then this message is for
(27:39):
you.
God is not counting your sinsagainst you if you trust christ.
If you trust christ, bereconciled to god.
So we've witnessed the miracleof reconciliation.
We've we've discovered themessage that we've been given to
share.
(28:00):
Now I want us to turn to thefinal part of our calling, and
that's the mission that we're toembrace matthew 28, because
this isn't just for pastors,this isn't just for missionaries
, this isn't just forevangelists.
And the great commission isn'toptional.
It's not.
It's not the great suggestionand the Great Commission isn't
optional.
It's not the Great Suggestion.
(28:21):
It's not optional.
It's not a side project for thechurch.
In fact, it's the heart ofChrist's plan for the world.
In fact it's the mission.
If any entity that calls itselfa church names the name of
Jesus and takes on anything elseas its primary mission, then
(28:46):
it's not behaving as a biblicalchurch, but the primary ministry
, the mission of you and us andthe church is this mission.
It's the mission.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word
of God stands forever.
That's Isaiah 48.
Thanks for tuning into theFoundations of Truth podcast
with Pastor Timothy Mann fromProvidence Church in Ormond
Beach, Florida.
Join us next time and untilthen, keep building your life on
God's eternal truth, the Bible.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Cardiac Cowboys
The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.