2nd Corinthians 5 and I want
to read verse 20 Now then we are ambassadors for
Christ as Though God did beseech you by us We pray you in Christ's
stead be reconciled to God and We read here in this passage,
it says, we are ambassadors for Christ. If some of you have seen in the
movies, they would have a messenger or an ambassador for the king.
This ambassador would be sent out someone with a message. Usually
a letter was sent with them. And once the ambassador reached
their destination, they would pull out the letter and in some
case, hand the letter over to someone and also tell of the
contents of the letter and who he was sent by. Those sent of
God are but ambassadors of Jesus Christ. We echo what he has said. We have his letter, his word
in our hands. Often it seems this message is
not received with open arms, you might say. There are those
when we tell this news to them, they do not seem to receive it
as others do. If those sin of God would come
with a message that you are condemned without any hope and you will
die in your sins and there is no remedy, one might understand
if they did not receive this message with open arms from these
ambassadors. But when they bring a message
where they are told, you have offended the one who has sent
me, just as I have done, the ambassador who was telling you
this. But you have offended the holy God of heaven. However,
there is forgiveness of sins by the works of another. There
is nothing for you to do. He has done it all. Yet men reject
this. We also see in scripture that
sometimes the one sent, these ambassadors, are the point of
attack for those to whom they are telling these good tidings.
We see in scripture where they have their heads cut off. Men
do this because they cannot get to the Lord of glory. Had it
not been for the sovereign purpose of God, they would not even have
killed our Lord when he was here. But they did kill him in this
because it was what he purposed to do. But Jesus Christ is no
longer manifesting himself on this earth at this time. So they
attack these ambassadors instead because they bring his message. Men, as they are born in Adam,
reject this message outright. Does that make any sense? It
does not make any sense in this way. Man has offended God and
is in need of his mercy, yet they reject him. But it does
make sense if you consider what man is by nature. He can do nothing
but reject this because by nature he hates God. When one of these
ambassadors brings this message, they are ready to kill the messenger
because they cannot get to the one that sent the message, that
is God. They would ascend if they could
and kill God on his throne. This free will, drunken society
wants to have their choice. If God and his power does not
do anything about it, they will get their choice. Their choice
will be darkness and torment forever. There is but only one
choice man will make by nature. That is the choice to have his
own way, whatever way that is. Oh, but there are some who love
to hear this message. having been forced to love this
message. It may be for the first time,
or it may be for the 1,000th time, but there are some who
live to hear this message. What is this message? Reconciliation
to God. There are a couple points I want
to cover in this passage. What causes mankind to have need
of reconciliation, and how are we reconciled? So first, what
causes mankind to have need of reconciliation? First, trespasses. And if I say trespasses, I mean
trespasses, so forgive me. But we read in our chapter in
verse 19 that God was not imputing their trespasses against them. Verse 19, let's read that. To
wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself,
not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed
unto us the word of reconciliation. What are trespasses? The word
means a sideslip. That is to fall out of the way.
A fall, fault, offense, sin. We're not talking about a side
slip where someone just loses their footing. We're talking
about a side slip that has plunged us over the precipice, over the
cliff, to where we have fell all the way to our death in Adam. Any trespass we have committed
against God is a capital offense, and we have surely committed
it. Numbers five and verse six reads
this way. speaking to the children of Israel,
when a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do
a trespass against the Lord, and that person be guilty, someone
might say, these passages you are giving mention Israel has
sinned. You might say, I am not an Israelite. Let's look at this a minute.
I want to kind of back into this thought, starting at the end,
working my way backwards. But in Romans 11, verses 25 and
26, we read this. For I would not, brethren, that
ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise
in your own conceits. That blindness, in part, is happened
to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles become in. And
so all Israel shall be saved. As it is written, there shall
come out of Zion the deliverer and shall turn away ungodliness
from Jacob. So if you see what this is saying
here, that when God brings in all the Gentiles, then at that
time, all Israel will be saved. This bringing in of the Gentiles
is the completion of all Israel being saved. How can I say this? How can I say that the Gentiles
are Israel? In Romans 11 and verse 17, we
read this. And if some of the branches be
broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, were graft in among
them, and with them partakest of the root and the fatness of
the olive tree, these Gentiles it is speaking of here are graft
in to Israel. But not only that, not even all
Israel are even of this Israel. Romans nine verses six through
eight reads this. Not as though the word of God
hath taken none effect, for they are not all Israel which are
of Israel, neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they
all children, but in Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is,
they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the
children of God, but the children of promise are counted for the
seed. So who is it that is really Israel? Turn with me to Romans 11, if
you would. Romans 11. verses 1 through 7. I say then, hath God cast away
his people? God forbid, for I also am an
Israelite of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God
hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. What ye not
what the scripture saith of Elias, how he maketh intercession to
God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets,
and dig down thine altars, and I am left alone, and they seek
my life. But what saith the answer of
God unto him? I have reserved to myself 7,000
men who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so,
then, at this present time also, there is a remnant according
to the election of grace. And if by grace, then it is no
more of works. Otherwise, grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it
is no more grace. Otherwise, work is no more work. What then? Israel hath not obtained
that which he seeketh for, but the election hath obtained it,
and the rest were blinded. So all those who have been chosen
in Christ are the true Israel, that remnant God has been pleased
in electing them to salvation. Those will all have part in the
root and fatness of the olive tree. That is Jesus Christ our
Lord. So I would not disagree with
some who might say they are not Israel, because not even all
who are Israel are of the Israel of God. Israel is those which
are the children of promise, the elect of God. Those who are
not of this true Israel will receive other ambassadors, that
is false ambassadors, and another message, or that is a false gospel. Those who are those other ambassadors
will bring another message. That other message, those who
are not true Israel, they will receive that message. This message
they bring is a perversion of the gospel. They have words from
another, and it is not Jesus Christ the Lord. It is of their
father, the devil, because their message is one of man's choice
and not God's choice. It is one of man's work and not
God's work. This message, this world will
receive with open arms, even though this message is full of
darkness and death, and the end thereof will be destruction.
This is their own way and not God's way. God's way is the Lord
Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ himself tells us,
he says, I am the truth, the way, and the life. The passages
we just read in Romans, if you are not a true Israel, then you
will not be saved because it says that once the fullness of
the Gentiles become in, then all Israel will be saved. Those
chosen of God, both Jew and Gentile, those will be the ones in time
that are born of God through the work of the Spirit, based
on the reconciliation that Christ made. These who are true Israel
being given life will then know they have sinned against God
because of his doing. He will force you to see that
you are in need of reconciliation. You will agree with scripture
that you commit sins that man commits to do trespass against
the Lord, knowing you are guilty because God has said so. God has told us specifically
in his word his way of salvation. The law was not given by God
as a way of salvation. Man could never keep God's law.
The law was just to show man how dead he is. The law always
had sacrifices involved. They were always making sacrifice.
It was not in case men sinned that they offered these sacrifices.
It is because they did sin against God all the time. So if you disagree
with God and what he says is needed for salvation, you corrupt
his way and sin against God. There is no question that man,
and that is all mankind, both men and women, have sinned against
God. Romans 3 and verse 23 reads,
for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. God
must quicken you, that is, give you life if you are to ever approach
unto him. Ephesians 2, 1 reads, and you
hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and in sins. This is done by the Spirit of
God, and God's Spirit has fruit. Galatians 5, verses 22 and 23
read, But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Against
such there is no law. Man cannot choose God because
scripture says without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith is God's gift. So if he
does not give you this gift, then you are yet dead in your
sins and unable to approach unto God or love God. Your free will,
salvation by works religion, will not get you to God, never. If you think it has, you are
deceived. I could go on with a lot of passages
to show that man has sinned against God. I could also show more passages
where it is clear if any man is to know God, it will be by
God's will and not man's will. But I want to get into this passage
where it's telling us that it's for those for whom God did this
for. This sin, trespass against God,
is why man needs reconciliation. So how are we reconciled? This
is where the gospel is, right here. 2 Corinthians, back in
2 Corinthians in verse 16 through 19, let's read that. I've already
read one. Wherefore, henceforth, know we
no man after the flesh. Yea, though we have known Christ
after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore,
if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are
passed away. Behold, all things are become
new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself
by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation. To wit, that God was in Christ,
reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses
unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. It says here in verse 18, all
things are of God who hath reconciled us. That is God has done the
reconciliation, not us. If he reconciled us to himself,
then we are reconciled. But how did he do this? By Jesus
Christ. Reconciliation is to bring something
together to compound a To compound a difference is what it means.
There is a difference between God Almighty of heaven above
and man as he is born in Adam. If you do not believe that, then
you don't believe God. It is very clear in scripture
that man in the garden originally had communion with God. But there
came a time when Adam failed. He disobeyed God and died spiritually,
so that not only did he not have communion with God, but he ran
to hide himself from God. As it has been said before, Jesus
Christ is the only one who could touch man and not be defiled,
and touch God and not be consumed, bringing them both together in
communion again. He compounded a difference, brought
two different things together. This is what Jesus Christ did.
Turn with me, if you would, to Romans 5, verses 8 through 11.
Romans 5. Romans 5, 8 through 11. But God commendeth, and that word commendeth
means introduced his love toward us in that while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified
by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if
when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death
of his son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also
joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received
the atonement. And that word there is reconciliation. Jesus Christ, when we were enemies
of God, reconciled us to himself by his own death. We were not
looking for God. We did not know God. We were
not even born yet. Some of these were alive and
there with Christ, of course, but any and all mankind, as we're
born in Adam, are enemies of God. This is why this gospel,
this good news, is a joyful thing, that which brings us peace with
God, taking sides with God against ourselves, knowing that it is
he who did the reconciling and not us, knowing that it is us
who needs the reconciling. Verse 18 says, and hath given
us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, God has given us his
gospel by that which Jesus Christ did by reconciling his people
to God. The ministry comes from Jesus
Christ because it is he that did the ministering. Not only
that, but verse 19 says, to wit that God was in Christ, reconciling
the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and
hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. From what
Jesus Christ has done, we now have had committed to us this
word of reconciliation. Just as we just read in Romans,
it tells us we have now received the atonement. If God has done
something for us, that is sent us the gospel, having given us
life, we are not waiting on the atonement. We have already received
it. We received it when he died,
rose again, but we also receive that when we hear the gospel.
He's given us life. But through the gospel and that
fruit of the spirit given us in grace. God and his power through Jesus
Christ's death and resurrection, wherein we also died and were
raised with him, then God in time lets us know about it to
the saving of our soul through the gospel. Through those ambassadors
who he sends to us with this message of reconciliation, which
he has accomplished, oh what good news that is. To someone
who was blind, but now made to see, was lost, but now have been
found of God. who is a wretch poured from the
dung heap and seated among princes and kings. This is glorious news,
knowing there is nothing for us to do. He did it all by himself. It is by his own power and might
that we now believe and rejoice in his son, Jesus Christ. Some
may reject this glorious gospel, this glorious message from God
Almighty, but let me ask this question. If you are thirsty,
does someone have to make you want to drink? No. All you need is someone to tell
you where the water is. The water is Jesus Christ. Our
problem by nature is we are not thirsty. We have to be made thirsty
first, and then God will send someone to you to let you know
where the water is. What does our passage tell us?
In 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 20 it says, 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. Has not Christ already reconciled
us? He most certainly has. This reconciliation
Paul speaks of here is not from God to us. That has already been
taken care of. We are the children of God if
Christ did this for us. This is us towards God. Lay down
your arms against God. Take sides with God against yourselves. Be ye reconciled to God. Because
if Christ did this, you are reconciled. Someone might say, that is someone
who has been revealed by God, that they are a sinner. But someone
might say, but I am such a great sinner. Maybe they or you may
feel that you are the greatest sinner there is. But think about
this. No matter how large or how small,
no matter how numerous or how few sins were committed against
God, Jesus Christ would have to perform the same reconciliation. But this passage is not done.
It tells us that we are ambassadors for Christ. And we pray that
in Christ's stead to be reconciled. For what reason? Read verse 21. That as sin hath, that as sin hath reigned unto
death. I'm in the wrong place, I'm in Romans. For he hath made him to be sin
for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. So let's read it here again.
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin. He did
not know sin. It was not in him to know sin. He was the spotless Lamb of God.
But that He was made sin for us, that is His people, that
we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. In Him being made
sin for us, laying down His life in death, then being quickened,
He has quickened us together with Him so that we might have
eternal life. Colossians 2 and 13 reads, and
you, being dead in your sins and uncircumcision of your flesh,
hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all
trespasses. Jesus Christ has done the reconciling. There is nothing else that needs
to be done. What other kind of reconciling do you want? I want
that kind of reconciling. That reconciling that gives me
communion with God. What ambassadors are you listening
to? What are those ambassadors telling you? If it is not that
it is God himself who reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ,
it just isn't worth hearing. But if that is what you are hearing,
you are hearing an ambassador for Jesus Christ. Believe the
word of reconciliation that they bring, amen. Almighty sovereign God We thank
you dear Lord that You did all the work because as you have
taught us by giving us life through your word We could have not have
done anything All of our works would have been for not But your
works have Brought us life in communion with God and Be with
Walter and Joe as they stand here and speak, dear Lord, that
they may speak in spirit and truth and open our hearts, minds,
ears, dear Lord, so that we may once again see Christ and the
reconciliation that he has done and all these things we ask in
Christ's name, amen.