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All right 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 Let's look at verse 20 again verse 20 it says now then we are ambassadors for Christ as Though God did beseech you by us. We pray you in Christ Ed be ye reconciled to God So the title for the sermon this morning is ambassadors for Christ now if you're saved Did you know God considers you his ambassador when you think about an ambassador you think of someone from a foreign? Nation right you think of someone who's traveled to another nation not their own and are representing their country They're representing their king. They're representing their governments Okay, and Christ looks at you if you're saved as a represent representation of himself a representation of Heaven okay, and so we as we look through this we're going to understand exactly How are we ambassadors in what way are we ambassadors? Because in truth we know that we're fallen human beings we know we have fragile bodies We know we have a sinful nature. We know that we seek sin in this flesh So in what way are we exactly an ambassador for Christ, so let's pick this up in verse number 1 2nd Corinthians 5 verse 1 it says for we know that if our earthly house of This tabernacle were dissolved. We have a building of God and house not made with hands Eternal in the heavens so immediately we begin this teaching that we've got to Let's say buildings if you will for that for the term ok the first one is the tabernacle Ok an earthly house a tabernacle That's one that's one of our buildings if you will the other one is a building of God a house not made with hands eternal in the heavens So if we have this building in the heavens that God has prepared and will give us one day That's actually how we are ambassadors We're representing in a sense even though we've not received that heavenly house just yet But that is what we're representing that will be our eternal home forever and while we've not been there Physically we are still his ambassadors. We are still his representation upon the earth Now notice that that earthly house now. This is talking about our bodies Okay If I haven't if that's been clear to you okay talk about our house our physical corrupted bodies that we have today the flesh is Compared there as an earthly house of this tabernacle now if you remember what the tabernacle was that's where the Old Testament saints Will come and sacrifice You know the shape and the oxen and the goats, but that was before the temple was constructed God gave instruction to the Israelites to have a tabernacle which was mobile which was able to move from one area to another area you know God never asked them to build a Temple a physical temple and yet even though Israel did that even though God allowed them to do that we then see That picture as the picture of our bodies firstly we have this tabernacle Which is not permanent you know we're going to unfortunately die one day this body's going to perish one day It's not going to last forever that was the idea of the tabernacle It wasn't going to be in a fixed place forever It would be carried from place to place But then when King David organized and then ultimately King Solomon built a temple of God It was in a fixed location even though God himself did not instruct them to do that He did bless them with the glory of God in that temple and that temple was that fixed structure It wasn't going to go anywhere and so God compares that teaching from the old or that story I guess if you will of the Old Testament with our bodies today the resurrected bodies That we're going to receive in the future is this eternal temple, but it's not a temple made by hands It's not something that's earthly. It's not something that will perish It's something that God has prepared and it says eternal in the heavens This is a future promise to come But even though it's a future promise to come the reality is true right now That that is who we really are in Christ, and that's why we are ambassadors to Jesus Christ Verse number two For in this we groan Okay earnestly Desiring to be clothed upon with our house, which is from heaven So maybe that makes more sense now when you understand what verse number one is saying is that because we're in our fallen nature Because we have this sinful nature and if you're saved you have the Spirit of God And it's warring against the flesh that old man versus the new man The new man is desiring to have that physical body which will no longer sin So it is no longer in war it is no longer Lusting against the flesh and the flesh lusting against the spirit, okay So the new man the spirit wants that resurrected body and even if your body's falling apart You know you have illnesses you have some chronic disease You're probably also and maybe you have pain in your bodies You're also kind of wishing for that new resurrected body as soon as possible right to get over This body that you have and so as believers we groan or earnestly desire those new bodies Which are to come from heaven? You know I often hear people say I wish Jesus would just come back right now You know and that's the groan in that's the nature. You know someone. I wish Jesus just I mean things are getting so bad I'm suffering so much. There's trials and tribulations. Yeah, that's the groan in that's been pictured here in our verse number two and it Before we get to verse number three it talks about like being clothed Okay, it's like the flesh is kind of like a clothing of the soul and then in verse number three it says if so be That being clothed we shall not be found naked Okay, so we're not going to you know once the resurrection takes place We're always going to have that that sorry that temple that physical body available to us And we're not going to be found naked now the reason I believe the God used the word naked here is because when you first think of nakedness in the Bible You know we think of Adam and Eve before they had sinned they were able to be naked and they were not ashamed About their nakedness, but when they committed sin all of a sudden the shame of nakedness came upon them They understood in the state they were and they needed they remember they tried to clothe themselves. They try to clothe themselves with with What was it again? Fig leaves that's right with fig leaves right, but he wasn't sufficient and so God had to clothe them with skins of an animal That's kind of the same idea. You know fig leaves were a temporary thing no It's not good enough We need to clothe you properly with with us this the skin of I believe was probably a lamb at that stage Representing Jesus Christ, but that's not the Bible teaches But I think that's probably the case that it was and so you know when we're when we receive our resurrected bodies When we stand in the presence of God we're not going to be found naked we're not going to be ashamed Okay, because we now have that resurrected body. Yes We may be ashamed of what we've done in our past life the sins we've committed yes, you know in a sense That's the truth, but we're talking about physically standing before God. You know if God were here right now You know in our presence in his fullness well Not only would we be totally destroyed in the flesh that we are but we would be ashamed of God We wouldn't want him here in the presence in the same way when when our God came walking in the garden Adam hid himself Remember he was ashamed of his nakedness and in the same way spiritually You know when we stand before God finally we see him in his full presence We will not be ashamed because those old fleshly bodies that we were clothing will be done away with and we're going to have this Perfect resurrected body, which is without sin verse number four For we that are in this tabernacle do groan being burdened Not for that we would be unclothed So it's not like we're but where we have this burden to be unclothed now what I believe that's been referred to It's not like we have this desire to just die You know because obviously what once we die we are in a sense unclothed because our soul and spirit leave the body So it's not it's not like we're pessimists and and negative and we're like I wish I just was dead You know that's not how a Christian ought to be so that's what I believe. It's been referred here But the reason we groan is not because we're growing to die But where we groan it says but clothed upon that mortality might be swallowed up of life So our groaning is that the mortality which is that we know we are dying our bodies aren't here forever That it would eventually be swallowed up by that that the I guess the eternal life of the new body to come the resurrected body Okay, and as I continue preaching through this chapter You know you might be thinking didn't we just cover all this stuff already Kevin when we already talking about the resurrected bodies When we were looking at 1st Corinthians 15 And what are we talking about the rewards in heaven when we looked at because we're going to look at the reward soon You know in 1st Corinthians was it for free free 1st Corinthians. Yeah, you're right free You know haven't we covered this already yeah, but pay attention. This is the same church Receiving the teaching once again from a slightly different angle Okay, and I don't want us to ever get to a point I know this is a bit off topic But I never want us to get to the point where we're thinking oh, we really heard this teaching Can't you teach them something new yeah? But you know what we see in the Bible sometimes God repeats the same things again And it's like different way because we need to hear it again. We need to be reminded again I'm I'm often thought I often think the things that are most often repeated Need to be most often repeated behind the pulpit okay, because it's the church of believers just like us Okay, and they're made of the same flesh and blood they need they need to hear the same repetition that we need to hear So I just want you to make sure you have that mindset that when we go through chapter by chapter And you're like well, we just cover this well Yeah, you know then God wants us to cover it again all right, otherwise. He wouldn't have Taught us that twice in his word But let's look at verse number five Verse number five now he that have wrought Or if if you're not sure that what that word means it just means worked Okay, now he that have wrought or worked us for the self same thing is God Okay, who also have given unto us the earnest of the spirit, so I think what the self same thing there That's been referred to are those resurrected body, but that's that's a work of God, okay? You're not being born of your mother to have that resurrected body It's not an earthly thing made of hands, but it's come from God that resurrected body also gives glory to God It's not about glorifying man It's because again We're found in Christ, and then we're blessed with that resurrected body to come to come But then he says who also have given us the earnest of the spirits okay, so what that's referring to again I've covered this before is that even though we don't have those physical resurrected bodies right now He has given us the Holy Spirit That's kind of like the down payment the promise that we are going to have these resurrected bodies otherwise Why would he preserve us with the Holy Spirit? Why would he be allow us to be born of the spirit and have this new life if we were never going to receive these? Resurrected bodies, so it's just it's the promise that we have today of the spirit Which is why we know we're going to receive that self same thing that resurrected body given to us by God Verse number six Therefore we are always confident Remember we got that down payment of the Holy Spirit so Paul says that's why we're confident about this thing I mean do you ever have doubts about heaven? Do you ever have doubts that you're going to receive these beautiful resurrected bodies to come? You know sometimes we might right because we don't you know physically see these things We've never seen we haven't seen a resurrected Jesus in our fleshly eyes But we've seen him in faith because we believe what the Word of God says and we can be as confident about anything That we find in the Bible You know we can be more confident about what we read in the Bible if we accept it by faith Then what people see with their own fleshly eyes You know I'm reminded of people that saw Jesus Christ when he was upon this earth They saw him do these amazing miracles they saw him raise you know Lazarus from the dead and what do they believe on him? Many of them did not believe on him Okay, and yet we can have a greater confidence Just by reading his word because his word is life And it's spiritual and it gives us faith faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God Okay, so we have confidence, and I hope you have confidence that that that day is going to come You know you're not going to suffer forever. You're going to have those resurrected bodies Therefore we are always confident verse number six knowing that whilst we are at home in the body We are absent from the Lord what does that mean are we absent from the Lord well in a sense We are absent from the Lord okay now in a general spiritual sense of course We're not absent from the Lord. He said he will never forsake us okay the Holy Spirit is indwelling in us We have God in us okay. We have the kingdom of God in us. We are in his kingdom The reality is that we do have God okay, but if we understand what we've just been reading about these physical bodies Currently Physically we are not in the presence of God okay because again if God were right here in his full presence We would be utterly destroyed just by the light of his glory okay, so in a sense Yes We are absent from the Lord while we're in these physical bodies as well the Bible says flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God in this current state that we're wearing okay Look at verse number seven For we walk by faith Not by sight and it's just pretty much what I just I won't repeat that again But again the confidence that we have is because we walk in faith. Okay. It's not the physical sight that we're so concerned about you know and You know salvation is by faith, right? You you know you're saved because the Holy Spirit testifies to your spirit your eternal Salvation that your salvation took place, but I can't look at you physically and see the new man I can't see what's inside of you. I can't see your soul. I can't see your spirit right That's why we walk by faith and not by sight so many people want to judge someone's salvation by their sights They're looking at him go well are they living a Christian life are they doing enough works are they going to church are they? Doing bow reading then I'll judge if they're saved No you can't we walk by faith Right you know we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and then we live by faith You know we walk by faith in all that we do okay, and not by sight you know I on Sunday went soul winning with in Sydney and Knocked on the atheist door, and he said to me You know what if Jesus Christ came and did a miracle in front of my eyes, then I would believe Okay, but then I just repeated to him what I said to you before That Jesus Christ did come did do many miracles and many did not believe because he's trusting his sights his trust in his Limited knowledge and limited wisdom that he has as a man rather than putting all his faith on Jesus Christ alone verse number eight We are confident. I say it's like he has to repeat it twice You know maybe there were some doubts in this church Are we really and we know because if we look at first Corinthians? We knew that there was some that were that weren't sure about the resurrection They didn't think there'd be a resurrected body, so maybe this is why he's repeating that again. He says we are confident I say and Willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord so it's much better To be with the Lord right he would his will he's more willing to be absent of this of his physical body and Present with the Lord, but again keep in mind what we've read before It's not like we have this desire to just die you know you know this is not a cult I'm not gonna start serving you kool-aid with uh what I don't know what what poison wasn't Arsenic I'm not gonna start again. Well. You know we're gonna die and let's look forward to death You know no that's not you know we have a life here to live you know God can give us fullness of life right now He has a purpose for us We know that purpose is if you're here on Friday, and that's to win souls and we'll see that again in this chapter You know it's important to understand this And so, but yeah, you know we ought to be more willing to be with the Lord You know so when we do die when our loved ones pass away, and we know they're in Christ They're saved we can rejoice because they're in the presence of the Lord yes, there's mourning yes There's sadness, but at the same time. There's great joy because we know that person is no longer suffering and they're rejoicing in the presence of the Lord verse number nine Wherefore we labor what does it mean to labor to work? Okay, wherefore we labor whether present or absent remember this has been dead or alive Whether one or the other we may be accepted of him So we as Christians ought to have a desire to be accepted by God now First of all when it says are whether present or absent let's talk about the absence for a minute again if we're absent It means we've passed on right. We've we've died and now we're in the presence of God So if you're a believer and you pass away By default because you have the new man and that new man has gone to heaven the soul and spirit are in heaven You are accepted of him Okay, because your position before God is righteous Okay, but then he also says we labor with a presence to be accepted of him So when we're present on this earth in our fleshly bodies he says I work Right to be accepted of God I labor Okay, so, you know when I talk about, you know, we talk about rightly dividing the Word of God Okay, that's a common statement and I've explained to you about the differences between the old man and the new man That's something we need to understand, right? but something that's very closely related to that is another division that you need to understand in the Bible and that's At your position before God and your walk with God Okay, your position before God is acceptable It's perfect because of what Jesus Christ has done. Okay, and that's your salvation There's nothing you can do to make yourself acceptable to God in your position because you're in Christ Christ has done all the work Okay, we just believe on him. He's death bearing resurrection and Positionally before God we're accepted of him But then our daily walk of our life because we have the flesh Because we sin because we fail because we struggle because we doubt you know That walk may not be acceptable of God and so Paul is saying hey I labor to be acceptable whether absent or present, you know He makes sure it's his desire to always strive to be accepted by God And so even though salvation is by faith and not of your works and that's true But once we're saved we ought to work we ought to labor and desire to be acceptable to God in our daily life Okay So that's something you need to really understand when rightly dividing the Word of God when you're reading these passages not only the old man and the new man, but your Position before God and your walk before God, okay and You know one way and I've said I keep striving this because I feel like this is not preached enough You need to confess your sins on a regular basis. I would say daily because you sin daily Alright, just just confess your sins daily because that's what's going to keep you in that right relationship with God You've got to humble yourself Yes, try to overcome the sins, but understand that you're never going to overcome sins in your life at least while we're in this In these bodies, but that's what we need to confess these sins not for salvation But just to maintain a right relationship and be acceptable in the sight of God in our walk Okay, not in our position. Our position is settled in Christ verse number 10 For so we talked about the labor in the work in in the flat, you know in our walk For so this is a conjunction in relation to that We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ Okay, we're all going to be judged by Christ that is judgment seats Saved people will be judged at the judgment seat of Christ and the unsaved at the great white throne Judgment where the names are not going to be found in the book of life and will be cast into eternal The eternal lake of fire. That's a sad thing for the unbeliever But the believer still gets a judgments Okay but not a judgment of your sins because your sins were judged on the cross your sins were judged and Taken upon Jesus Christ in his body. So that's been done away with but here we're going to be judged It says look at look at this what it says here that everyone may receive the things done in his body Not the sins, but the laboring that we did right for him According to that he have done Whether it be good or bad So when we when we when the Lord comes back and resurrects us gives us those resurrected bodies He's going to judge us on the things we've done in our body not the sins, but the works we've done Okay, the works that we've done whether they be good or bad. It doesn't say whether they be good or sinful Okay, so to understand this then Obviously and this is the whole point of this this passage talking about the eternal bodies that we ought to have Comparing eternity to the temporal things that we have, you know, the previous chapter covers this as well but There are works that you can do in this life that have eternal value if you serve the Lord you serve the brethren Okay, because Jesus says if you serve one another it's like you're serving him Whatever you do that has eternal value are the things that are found good in your body Because they're good in the sight of eternity and the Lord Jesus Christ will come and reward you for the works that you've done For his name. Okay, and for his church and for the work he's left us to do upon this earth But then there are other things that we all do There are plenty of things that we do that are bad meaning that there are no there's no eternal value Okay, but they're not sinful in of themselves, you know the hobbies that you have the you know The things that you do to blow off a bit of steam or you know Sporting Whatever, you know I don't know what people like to do just the things that you do in your life that adds no value to eternal things Those are the things that are considered bad. Okay, but they're not wrong or sinful It's just it doesn't doesn't hold eternal value And so we ought to just have that in mind that let's not just live a life for ourselves Even though we're not necessarily sinful wicked people But we strive to also have a place in our lives that has things that are eternal value You know, that's why so we need such a great thing It's probably the greatest thing that you can do to receive those rewards Okay I also believe the way you live your life and just just a fellowship and the service you have for one another as brethren Of course, you know Jesus Christ says even if you give a cup of water to a child in my name that you won't lose Your reward. Okay, so there's reward even in serving one another a cup of water Okay, but we need to make sure we have a balance in our life and that we strive to have works that are good and eternal This number 11 knowing therefore the terror of the Lord We persuade men So he wants to persuade us to do the works He wants to persuade us to have eyes for eternal things and not just be mindful of the temporary Okay, because there is a fear of the Lord, you know, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge It's the beginning of wisdom. It's the start of all things it's the fear of God that gets you saved because you realize just how much God hates sin and how God's going to judge sin and You're deserving of hell because of what you've done. It's a fear of God that starts everything and so Paul is here remind the church. Hey, you need to have a fear of the Lord Maybe you've lost some of that fear because that's what's going to drive you not just to get saved That's what's going to drive you to do the great works because you want to be presentable to God be acceptable Hey Lord, look in my life. Here are the things that I've done for you, you know, that's otherwise It's a little bit embarrassing if you come before the Lord and you've got nothing there. You're still saved Okay, even if you didn't know works, you're still saved But it's a little bit embarrassing right knowing that how much God has done for you and you've not given anything back for his kingdom But it says here we persuade man, but we are made manifest unto God So we're going to our works be revealed to God But then he says and I trust also are made manifest in your consciousness Consciences Consciences, so not only are my works manifest to God on that judgment day But my works have also been manifest to the church here, you know in Corinth or the church here in Caloundra if you will Okay, we the works, you know, so Paul is basically saying Proving that the works that he's done has been something of eternal value and something that has given joy To the church has profited the church because again the false prophets will come They don't look to profit the church. They simply come to look at profiting themselves What can I get out of the church rather than what can I give to the church? Let's look at verse number 12 For we commend not ourselves again to you, so I'm not coming to What's the word I'm thinking of Quantify or qualify myself before you again, you know, he's already their apostle He's already gotten so many of these people saved. He's already established his church He says but give you occasion to glory on our behalf so the reason why I've told you about all the works we've done is so you can glory in them and I mean, I know we don't all go so winning but when you hear about the news of someone getting saved like we know today Isn't that something that we can glory in as a church as a whole? You know when when there are people believers that we love churches that we love and they do great works Even though we didn't do those works ourselves. We can glory in those things right we can rejoice in those works, you know Right now we're not we're not giving any money to a missionary at some date Some point I would hope to be able to support a missionary and then when we hear reports back From the work that they've done the souls that will that was saved even though we did not do it We could we can glory in that and no hey, we we played a part somehow to help this person go out and do the works Okay, and so that's why again Paul is not praising himself. He's not trying to boast of himself He's just saying hey the works that we've done you can glory in you know, it's trying to encourage this church Oh What best I'm up to Twelve oh Yeah that you may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance and not in heart So there are some people I don't know whether we've in the church or people that are critical of the church That glory in appearance on the outward appearance rather than in the heart, you know The They're not sincere. They're not genuine people. All right, they glory about themselves You know, this is the respecter of men, you know So many people respect a hold hold men in high degree who aren't doing any anything of eternal value for God You know simply there to promote themselves and poor compares them to himself Who is suffering who is going without food who is you know near the points of death? But his works are something they can glory in and they shouldn't glory with people that glory after the appearance. Okay verse 13 For whether we be beside ourselves Now this is a figure of speech. We still use that a little bit when people say you're beside yourself Well, what are we saying when we're saying, you know, you're beside you so we're saying like you're a bit mentally unhinged You're a bit you're a bit crazy, you know, and so, you know Paul uses this kind of terminology So he says whether we be beside us up now remember remember what he's gone through remember what he's suffered All right. This guy's gone for shipwreck. This guy's been stoned to death and was brought back I mean this guy's suffered a lot of things in his life and to the natural man, that would seem crazy Why are you doing that? I mean people think we're crazy for being in church this morning people think we're crazy that way You know, I'm sure people are walking past and thinking this is crazy They listen to a man yell, you know in front of a lake, but we're not even suffering We're just sitting here enjoying the Sun, right? But what if you were suffering being persecuted and you're still doing it for the name of Christ and people think you're crazy But he says whether we be beside not that is crazy But if that's the the perception that exists it is to God he says we don't do it for ourselves We do it to glorify God or whether we be sober being of sound mind Okay, it is for your cause. So when we do things that seem sound and profitable Hey, it's for your cause you look good. You look good because you're you're supporting us you're praying for us Okay, but if we look crazy, you know, what's to God, you know, you you don't need to you know Be seen in a bad light for that, but we're doing it unto God. God knows our hearts God knows we're serving him, but when everything's going well, hey, it's it's good for you. It's good for you as a church You benefit from Paul's example verse 14 For the love of Christ constraineth us Because we thus judge and if one died for all then we're all dead So the love of Christ here, which is exemplified through the death that he had on the cross for us He says that's what drives him. Yes the rewards Yes, knowing that he's going to receive a physical body Yes, knowing that he's going to be with the Lord forever in eternity But also the love of Christ is what drives him to serve the Lord And I think we need to have a little bit of that in us as well We need to say hey God loved us so much He sent his only begotten Son to suffer such a cruel death in the physical Way, you know that we think of the shedding of blood and the crucifixion But also spiritually having taken upon all our sins the sins of the whole world The sins of the worst serial killers the sins of every abortion the sins of every Everything that you can think of that's wicked in this world We're put on Christ and that love that he has for us is what's driving him say. I love you I love you too Lord. We love you because you first loved us and I'm going to seek to serve you with my life We ought to have that desire in us, right? But that love comes from God and we reflect reflect that love Back to him or back to the brethren or back to this lost and dying world as we seek to see them saved Verse 15 and That he died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves But unto him which died for them and rose again So we should live unto Christ we should Seek to serve him. We should seek to walk in his steps. We should seek to keep his commandments Okay, but again keep in mind. This is not for salvation These are things that we should do because we're saved Okay, but these are not things that we must do to be saved What we must do to be saved is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and trust his salvation Trust his work that is paid for our sins and that we're not trusting in a church or trusting in our own works But we should once saved. Yes there is a There should be an expectation that you're going to serve and love him and try to serve and keep his commandments But keep those things separate. I spoke to you about rightly dividing the Word of God You know salvations by faith. Don't forget that That's what we teach if you want to get someone saved you must understand must understand that it's by faith and not of works But then when you're saved do the works, you know, we need to do more works, you know People think that we don't want to do the works because we say salvation by faith No, that's the bet that's that's a great part But then to earn the rewards in heaven the judgment seat of Christ do the works So we'll be acceptable to him in our walk, okay Verse 16 or did I read verse 16? I Read it. No Thanks, wherefore henceforth. No, we know man after the flesh Yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh yet now henceforth. We know him no more. I Was struggling to work this out if you guys have some ideas Well, I'm gonna go to Sydney straight after this but you can tell me later on but I'll give you what I think this is saying okay So so we know no man after the flesh So it's it's like because we have the flesh in the spirit, you know Paul is trying to have the eyes of eternity He's not trying to see this life in his fleshly desire It's like so he doesn't he's not trying to live or see after the flesh But then it says yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh So it's in the flesh in your unsaved state that you first know of Christ a lot of people that are unsaved Know of Christ they know him After the flesh, but they don't know him in the spirit. So once you are saved and you're revived in that spirit This is what I believe he says at the end of it yet now henceforth No, we him no more. So we don't know Christ anymore in the flesh, but we know him in the spirit Which is why we can fellowship and grow and and and be nurtured in God by the spirit That's what I think that verse is saying. It's a little bit tricky. If you've got some other ideas, please let me know verse 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature again. I forgot the memory verse again Anyway, this is the memory verse. Okay. Therefore if any man be in Christ He is a new creature old things are passed away behold. All things are become new and This verse is so straightforward to me and yet so many people misapply it Because they want to have a false gospel Because they want to teach works because they want to teach it You must repent from your sins and keep the laws of God in order to be saved They take a passage like this and say well to be saved. You must be this new creature What they teach is reformation of your life Yeah, they say well see all things are passed away all things are become new and if you're not walking after this newness Then you must not even be saved They say if your life has not changed in the outward appearance Then you're not even saved And so what they're saying is you must do the works and keep the commands to be saved because otherwise you're not the new creature But is this flesh this we read what do we read about this flesh is going to be done away with it's not forever This flesh is not of God. It's of Adam. Okay. It's it's a sinful nature You can't you won't find a new creature in this flesh Okay, what is the new creature? It says there in verse 17 if any men be in Christ It's the new man. That's in Christ. It's the spirit. It's a soul. That's saved. That's in Christ It's that new man that new life that new creature That is that is new That is brand new and the old things are passed away because that old man cannot be tainted by those old things Okay, it says all things are become new all things so if you think salvation is reformation reforming your life and Yet you commit a sin tomorrow Even if it's a tiny little white lie Then you can't say all things that become new because you've just sinned but in the new man because it doesn't sin All things that become new it's perfect because it's in Christ This flesh is not in Christ But that future resurrected body to come will also be in Christ because it would be likened unto Christ and his resurrection verse 18 and all things are of God Who have reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ Now pay attention to this. Why did God give us this new creature? Why is God promising us this future resurrected body? Is it just so we can you know? Just praise God and not really have any influence in our community No, you know it says and all things are of God who have reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ and have given to us the ministry of reconciliation Look, we're ambassadors of God. Okay. It's not just a title. It's a work, right? The ambassador is there in a in a nation to have good relations with the foreign nation Right to build you know agreements to have you know a green trade or a green financial Decisions and and make sure whatever decisions one nation makes is also in the best interest of their own nation And so we as ambassadors of Christ have been given us this a ministry of reconciliation Because we're representing heaven we come here to where well we come where we're on this earth already To build that relationship between the unsaved and God himself through the reconciliation of salvation found in Jesus Christ by grace through faith and verse 19 to wit or to witness to Speak of okay that God was in Christ You know, thankfully we live in a nation that we don't need to really emphasize this too much because most people do recognize You know that Jesus Christ is God, you know But we do need to make sure that when we're preaching the gospel that we teach them that Jesus Christ is God Okay God in the flesh To wits that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself Not imputing their trespasses on to them and have committed unto us the word of reconciliation So, how do we reconcile people to God? By can I use the illustration last time by the puppet show, you know by Living a very righteous life. Is that how we do the reconciliation? You know people people look at our life and go wow, you're such a Christian. What must I do to be saved? No, that's not what happens right it says the word of Reconciliation meaning you need to speak words, you know, you need to open up the scriptures and proclaim boldly The gospel to this lost and dying world. It's by word It's not by any other way God has caused salvation to be through someone expressing the Word of God to another and I love how it says there in verse 19 and have committed unto us the word of reconciliation What does it mean to commit something? It means you've entrusted someone with that, you know, God has entrusted you God trusts you to do his work and Are you doing it? You know when you think of your own life did God? Rightly put his trust in me. Am I going about and carrying out this work that he left us to do God has entrusted you God has committed this to you. Okay verse number 20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us We pray you in Christ's stead be ye reconciled to God again. Just the fact that we are his representation on this earth People think of the Pope the Roman Catholic Pope He's the supposed to believe the you know representation of Christ or maybe even Christ himself on this earth kind of thing No, that's not it's us. You know, we're the representation of God we represent God We represent the kingdom of God we are to represent Christ in our life So be mindful of that as ambassadors that the way you live your life Represents heaven be mindful of how you behave not just in church But in your day to day life be mindful about what you do on social media You know because it represents the kingdom of God and in some ways it represents our church You know if you if you make a fool of yourself on social media and people know hey This is a this person goes to New Life Baptist Church. It's going to reflect badly on all of us You know, it's not just you it's not just hey, well, I'm just this way I am you know people have to take it or leave it. Hey, you represent more people than yourself You represent your family you represent your church and you represent the kingdom of God. He's made you his ambassador for a reason Okay, don't be this lone ranger thinking that your actions don't affect anybody else. They at least affect God, okay verse number 21 We're wrapping up now for he have made him to be sin for us who knew no sin Jesus Christ Perfection he had no sin. He had the temptations because he was fully man as well But he did not give in to those temptations. He lived a perfect. How hard is it to not sin? How hard it's hard right? It's difficult. You know can you I don't know if you can even go a day without sinning I don't know Maybe some have I don't know, but I don't think you can go two days without sinning, right? This was a challenge of Jesus Christ yes He was God, but at the same time he was man And he was able to live a life of 30 more year plus years without sin Very difficult day by day for us so he could be a sacrifice who knew no sin But he was made sin for us He took on all our sin. I can't believe that I can't believe that's God himself Who's perfect and pure and righteous would allow himself the Son of God to take on the sins of the whole world exactly what God hates and and die for us and Suffer the consequences of all that But why that we might be made? The righteousness of God in him that beautiful transaction We've given him all our sins and Christ Kept the law perfectly gives us his righteousness. He's imputed righteousness on us so we can stand positionally you know acceptable to God You know and and that's the beautiful gift of salvation our sins are gone and the righteousness of Christ is a putative imputed upon us God sees us as perfect through that veil of Jesus Christ. Okay. Let's pray