We are Christ’s Ambassadors

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2 Cor. 5:11-6:2

How can we say “thank you” to Jesus with our lives?  Paul states that one way we can do this is by being His ambassadors, representatives, and messengers. Paul shows us how.

1: LIVE FOR JESUS (2 Cor. 5:11-15)

  • A key verse for me is verse 14, “For Christ’s love compels us…” Paul can’t help but adore and share the Good News of Christ. He is being hounded by the godless and the hyper-religious and yet he continues to press on through persecution, marginalization, and doubt.
  • How does Christ’s love compel you?  It’s clear that Christ’s love compelled Paul to live for Jesus and to serve Him with his whole life.
  • How about you and me? Have we allowed the love of Jesus to penetrate our lives at every point? It’s the love Paul describes in Eph. 3:17-19. How does that love compel you to live for him:
    • In your marriage?
    • With your money?
    • In serving others?
    • In serving God?
  • Do you want to say thank you to Jesus for all He has done for you? Then LIVE FOR HIM! Make it your daily aim to live for him.
  • What does it mean to live for Him?
    • Orient everything towards living the Jesus life.
    • Make your relationship with Jesus your most important relationship.
    • Love others more than yourself.
    • Honor Jesus with your words, thoughts, and actions.
  • It all starts with committing your life to Jesus and then committing your life to live for Him each day.

2: SHARE JESUS WITH OTHERS (2 Cor. 5:16-21)

  • We say thank you to Jesus by being His ambassadors.
    • Be willing to share your story of what Jesus has done for you, and what it means to you. In Mark 5:19 it says “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”
  • As a church, we say thank you to Jesus by reaching out as far and wide as we can.
    • That’s why we’ve recently started a new branch campus, expanded our reach to kids and youth, and more.
    • We have over 100 ministries and 20 gatherings each week in order to reach out as His messengers of hope!!
    • It’s why we have 20 local outreach ministries to our community and 80 missionaries and projects + 5 Global Church Partnerships. Our desire is to be ambassadors of Christ!
  • Build a bridge, be a bridge, and be an ambassador of Christ.

3: THOUGHTFULLY AND “HEARTFULLY” EMBRACE HIS GRACE (2 Cor. 6:1-2)

  • “As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain…” – 2 Cor. 6:1
  • Thoughtfully and “heartfully”:
    • My sense is that it is easy for us to take His grace for granted.
    • GRACE: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.
    • It all starts with His grace – and it all ends with His grace.
    • Without grace there is no salvation or forgiveness.
  • Throughout history – which is His Story – God has shown His grace to man.
    • Throughout the Old Testament God made several covenants that showed His grace:
      • There was the covenant with Adam, with Noah, with Abraham, with Moses, with David
    • And then there was the New Covenant – with Jesus.
      • “I will be your God, and you will be my people” was a crucial message that ran through these covenants.
      • Jesus came as the perfect sacrifice to permanently pay for their sins and ours (Heb. 9:11-15; 22; 10:1-14).
  • Paul says in 2 Cor. 6:1-2:
    • One way to ignore grace is to live for ourselves (vs. 1).
    • In regards to grace, “Freely we have received… freely we must give.” We need to be willing to freely give grace to others, much like God has freely given grace to us.
    • We need to embrace it deeply – and then share it freely.
    • The hope of the world is that Jesus Christ was crucified, resurrected, and is coming again! The message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that He purchased eternal life for all those who will believe in Him!

We say thank you by living for Jesus. We say thank you by sharing Jesus with others. And we say thank you by truly embracing grace – understanding what it means and allowing it to flow out from us toward others.

Go and be an ambassador today!