EPIPHANY
3
January
27-29, 2024
Pastor
Timothy J. Spaude
Text:
2 Corinthians 5: 14-21 (EHV)
“WE ARE
AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST!”
1.
Compelled
by the love of Christ.
2.
Changed
by His presence.
3.
Proclaiming
His message
I must tell you I am very honored to
be in the presence of such important people. I am not kidding nor stroking your
egos. You are very important people. Why? Each one of you has been appointed to
serve as an ambassador for Christ. From the moment the Holy Spirit brought you
to faith you received that appointment. So that you would know you have been
appointed, Jesus gave you your Baptism where you put on Christ. So from the
youngest baby to 104 year old Helen Tellier we are ambassadors for Christ and
that has some implications for each one us. The Apostle Paul helps us to see that
in his second letter to the church at Corinth. What he wrote about himself and
them is true for me and you. We are ambassadors for Christ.
An ambassador’s job description can be
quite simple. You represent the real ruler of a country to other nations.
Motivation is important. For instance, for America, if you really don’t like
your President, it would be difficult to fairly represent that president. As
Christ’s ambassador we have the best motivation. “For the love of Christ
compels us, because we came to this conclusion: One died for all;
therefore, all died. 15 And he died for all, so
that those who live would no longer live for themselves but for him, who died
in their place and was raised again.” The love of Christ. Linguistically
you have to make a decision. In both New Testament Greek and modern American.
Is Christ subjective or objective? In other words, when saying “The love of
Christ” does Paul mean that Christ’s love of us compel us or is our responsive
love for Him? The love of Christ compels. Subject or object? Isn’t the right
answer “Yes.” Both. Because Christ loves us, we love Him in return. That’ s why
we want to be His ambassadors first or foremost.
Let’s keep that in mind this election
year. In America the government wants informed and involved citizens. It
becomes our civic duty and our 4th Commandment Christian duty to
then be informed and involved citizens. So please do that as you see fit. However,
let’s make sure that our zeal to see one candidate or another in office does
not detract from our first love. Let’s make sure that our actions and words and
posts don’t disqualify us from being Christ’s ambassadors. I can’t spew hate
and venom and then expect people who know me to accept my invitation to know
Christ better. And don’t let your best ambassadorial skills be wasted on
someone who didn’t die for you, and in fact is not willing to give their life
for you. None of them will. Jesus did. We are Christ’s ambassadors, compelled
by His love.
Changed by his presence. “As a
result, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we
knew Christ according to the flesh, we no longer know him that way. 17 So
then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away.
The new has come!” Christ’s presence in our life changes how
we view people. In case you haven’t noticed, people are messy. Our sinful
natures haven’t just put a blotch on us we can cover with some makeup. We are
broken. All of us have weaknesses toward selfishness, lust, pride greed, one of
them, all of them and more. That’s what makes people messy. When we regard
people according to the flesh it means we look at them the way the world looks
at them. How is that? Friend or Foe. Us and them. It has always been that way
since sin came into the world. Think Cain and Abel. Hatred of my brother. For
much of our world’s history that hatred was based on culture. Greek vs Persian.
Jew vs Gentile or Samaritan. Rich vs poor. In our country it’s about color:
black vs brown vs white. If you look like me, talk like me, have the same
status as me you are friend, if not you are foe. If your sins and weaknesses
are the same as mine, you are normal, if they are something I would never do
you are the vilest of sinners. Us and them. When you look at people according
to the flesh, the way of the world.
But Christ changes us. The old has
gone. The new has come. At a recent conference the presenter asked a thought
provoking question. Do you view yourself as an American who happens to be a
Lutheran Christian or a Lutheran Christian who happens to be American? That
order changes things, doesn’t it? Let me ask it a different way. Are you a
black person or white person or brown person who happens to be a Lutheran
Christian or are you a Lutheran Christian who happens to be gifted and tinted
just the way God wants you to be? What’s your first love, your first identity?
While sin divides it is Christ that unites. So we need to first see ourselves
as equally sinful and equally saved no matter our status or color and that the
presence of Christ is what is most important and has us cheering for the same
team and playing for the same team.
Then as Christ’s ambassadors we need
to view others in the same way. Other messy people. The list of initials and
genders and identities that our fellow Americans are using for themselves
continues to grow. You can’t keep up. When you look at people, messy people,
from a worldly point of view you may find yourselves doing anything from rolling
your eyes and shaking your head to muttering FREAK! Under your breath. But with
Christ in our lives we see others differently. People Jesus loves so much He
gave His life for them. Messy people just like us and the only difference
between us and them is we have Jesus in our lives and He cleaned us up. You
know the only people difference the Bible focuses on is believer and
unbeliever. And amongst those unbelievers some are Christ haters and they are
lost. But some are ignorant and some are victims of lies of the Devil and some
are following wrong ways because they instinctively know there is a God sized
hole in their heart that needs to be filled with something.
That is where you and I come in. We
are ambassadors for Christ. An ambassador’s job is quite simple. Speak the
message the one you represent gives you. What is Christ’s message He wants us
to deliver? Reconciliation. “And all
these things are from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave
us the ministry of reconciliation. 19 That is, God
was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses
against them. And he has entrusted to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore,
we are ambassadors for Christ, inasmuch as God is making an appeal through us.
We urge you, on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God
made him, who did not know sin, to become sin for us, so that we might become
the righteousness of God in him.” In these times that we live in where our
government leaders seek to divide us along political lines so they can stay in
power and our sinful natures try to divide over color or social status Jesus
comes in and seeks one thing for all people. Unity. With God. Reconciliation.
Two parties who are at odds coming together.
Sin divides. People from people.
People from God. Sin cannot be undone. You can’t make up for sin. Oftentimes
you can’t undo its earthly damage. Only one thing takes care of sin.
Forgiveness. Only one thing makes that possible. The blood of Jesus Christ,
God’s Son. We are His ambassadors. When you rub shoulders with those who like
to identify themselves with initials make sure they don’t get the impression
that what you really want to do is change their behaviors. You are an
ambassador for Christ. What I really want to do is change your relationship
with God. Jesus does that. He had no sin. Yet He became sin, the world’s one
and only sinner on the cross. For you. Heart first. Behaviors later. We are
ambassadors for Christ.
Which means you are very important
people. But maybe you don’t feel that way. Maybe you think you can’t influence
many people. In 2022 Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barret was appointed to be ambassador
to Luxembourg. Belgium. I remember my first reaction. Mmm. Why him? And
Luxembourg. Not very important. I wonder if the people in Belgium would agree.
There are actually smaller countries. Liechenstein, Tuvalu, Nauru and covering
a whopping .77 of a square mile, Monaco. The people there are all important. So
are the people God has you rubbing shoulders with whether many or few. Whenever
you do keep this truth in the forefront. We are Christ’s Ambassadors. Amen.
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