This Week's Subday School Lesson, "Ambassadors For Christ:, 2 Corinthians 5:11-23, 5/15/2022

 YOUR JOB, AMBASSADOR FOR CHRIST

2 Corinthians 5:11-21

 

REVERENCE THE LORD

V.11 Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. 12 We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are allowing you to take pride in us so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart.

A.      Your testimony about Lord is important to those you come in contact with.

1.       We know what God has done for us since we first believed in Him.

2.       We are convinced that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom

3.       We grow each day and are covered by His grace and mercy.

4.       We can use our knowledge to persuade others to believe in Jesus.

B.      We believe in a heaven and a hell.

1.       We also believe in the great day of judgment when everyone will have to

Give an account of what He has done.

2.       Because of the terror of that great day we preach Jesus.

3.       Because of the blessing of today, we glorify Jesus.

C.      We take no pride in ourselves but pride in Jesus the one who saves.

 

A NEW MINDSET

 V:13 If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For Christ's love compels us because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

A.      The religion of the Jews was based on the law.

1.       They proclaimed faith in the Father through their self-righteousness.

2.       To have faith in another person was blaspheme.

3.       Paul preached Jesus as the fulfillment of the law.

4.       The Jews had two sets of rules they lived by; the law and their tradition

Matthew 15:3-4

Jesus replied, "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?

 

Matthew 15:8-9

"'These people honor me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from me.

9 They worship me in vain;

their teachings are but rules taught by men.'"

 

 

B.      The Jews understood the legality of the law, but not the spirit of

The law.

1.       Their traditions outweighed the spirit of the law.

2.       Therefore Paul was thought to be out of his mind because he preached

Jesus.

3.       Paul preached Jesus for the sake of the believers.

C.      We preached Jesus as the salvation of the world.

1.       Jesus died for our sins. Therefore, we die with Christ

2.       Christ was resurrected for the newness of life.

3.       We are resurrected in the newness of Jesus Christ.

4.       Since we belong to Christ through His death and resurrection,

We must live for Christ.

 

NEW CREATION IN CHRIST

V:16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:

A.      Since we are a new creation in Christ, we must see the world through the eyes of Christ

1.       As a new creation in Christ we have the following.

a.       We have a change in our minds toward men

b.       We have a change in our thinking toward men.

c.       We have a change in our actions toward men.

2.       Since we are a new creation in Christ, we can separate man from his sins.

3.       We can see man as worthy of salvation, and his sins as the work of the devil.

B.      None of us are worthy of salvation but God sent His Son to be our sin.

1.       While Christ was dying on the cross, God was reconciling the world to Himself.

2.       Those who believe in Christ have the ministry of reconciliation.

3.       As ministers of Christ, we have the job of preaching Jesus to draw sinners to Him.

a.       As ministers, we have the job of loving our neighbors which includes our

Enemies.

b.       As ministers, we have the command to forgive.

c.       As ministers, we have the job of tolerance.

d.       As ministers, we have the command of generosity.

 

 

 

AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST

 V:19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

A.      The shed blood of Christ atoned for our sins, past, presence, and future.

1.       Since we are a new creation in Christ, we must preach Jesus.

2.       Since we are new creations in Christ, we must be imitators of Christ,

3.       As new creations in Christ, we must hope in Christ.

4.       As new creations in Christ, we must live like Christ.

5.       As new creations in Christ, we must trust the Word of God.

6.       As new creations in Christ, we must act on the Word of God

B.      1. Make your life’s work to live for Christ.

2. Be reconciled to God by the renewing of your mind.

4. Resist the temptation of sin.

3. Live According to the righteousness of God.

4. Work as unto the Lord.

5. Pray without ceasing.

6. Be thankful for all things.

7. Glorify the Lord in all your activities.

8. Be grieved when you see the lost and rejoice when one

    Comes to Christ.

9. In all conversations, glorify God by proclaiming Jesus as the

    Lord of our salvation.

 

REJOICE IN THE LORD, PRAISE HIS NAME

 

Rev. M. Mitchell