Authentic Mission

The context of these verses is the Apostle Paul defending the authenticity as the true apostle of the Lord Jesus

because his gospel is authentic and therefore his ministry is authentic.

He's being challenged consistently by this church of Corinth who are being swayed away to follow a group of people

who we will discover in a few weeks as the super apostles.

This gives us clarity too on what it means for us to be an authentic follower of the Lord Jesus.

What does it look like to be a disciple of Jesus?

And what Paul has written in 2 Corinthians 3, 4 and now 5 is meant to help us to not lose heart as a follower of Christ.

He mentions not losing heart in chapter 4 verse 1, again in verse 16

and he writes about the ministry of the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ,

the Christian faith that has turned his life inside out and upside down.

And in chapters 4 and 5 are written so that we don't walk into a life of apathy and losing heart.

And see, the stakes are high for us.

As we've just heard, the stakes are high for our world when we just decide to cruise,

just decide to coast, to lose heart in this mission that God's called us to do

and busy ourselves with trivia and irrelevancies.

We get a glimpse of how high the stakes are.

This was from last week in chapter 5 verse 10 with Richard Goscombe.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,

that each one may receive what is due him for the things done well in the body, whether good or bad.

That is, what that verse is declaring,

is that God will hold everyone accountable for their life.

Every single person will answer for their life.

Notice that the judgment seat of Christ is universal.

We must all appear, everyone, no exceptions.

We will all give an account to the Lord Jesus as the King of kings,

the Lord of all, the ruler of all things,

the one who holds eternity in his hands.

Notice too, that while it is for everyone,

we'll all be judged individually.

Each one must give an account.

Everyone will be held accountable to God for their life.

Now, the point of chapter 5 verse 10 is meant to cause us to shudder.

That's the point of that verse.

It's meant to cause us to shudder.

That is, there is a day of consequences.

There is a day of reckoning.

Eternal consequences.

And no one will escape it.

And so it says in verse 11,

Since then, we know what it is to fear the Lord.

We try to persuade men.

Now, the fear of God,

this final judgment,

is a good motivation.

But it's not the only motivation.

You see, the fear of God

is in no way whatsoever

proof that you actually love Jesus.

Fear of God by itself

moves you into a life of self-confidence,

a life of legalism,

a life of bare minimum apathy.

That's what fear of God does.

In and of itself.

If we do not believe in our hearts

the awful truth

of the enmity there is

between us and God

and all of its eternal,

terrifying consequences,

then our love for Christ

will in fact be shallowed and flawed.

So we need the fear of God,

but that's just not enough in itself.

Without the fear,

love for Christ

will be taken for granted.

It'll be passionless

and entry into all the joys of his presence

is just the next thing that I expect to happen

because of my life of service.

You see, the horror of final judgment

and I don't have time to unpack

exactly what the horror of final judgment

will look like

except that it's meant to result

in shuddering on our behalf.

But the horror of final judgment

makes the wonder and the awe of God's grace

in the Lord Jesus for us

are just beautiful

and humbling

and almost incomprehensible.

Let us believe and feel the horror

of eternal condemnation

and flee from it

into the loving and the gracious arms of Jesus,

the judge of all people,

where you will find no condemnation.

In other words,

as Exodus 20, 20 says,

fear the Lord

so that you don't have to fear the Lord.

We're told in verse 14,

the fear of judgment

is not Paul's only motive.

He says,

for Christ's love compels us.

And then these verses

which follow on from here

are just the wonder

of the love of Christ for us.

Verse 18,

God,

who reconciled us to himself through Christ.

Again,

verse 19,

God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ.

To reconcile

is to render two parties

to be no longer opposed to each other.

It's to win over from hostility

towards friendliness.

It is to make two opposites

consistent and compatible.

And that is what these verses say

that God has done for us in Christ.

Totally opposed.

Enmity and hostility

and brought together.

These verses say

that it's God who took the initiative

to reconcile us to himself,

which is the foundation

of the Christian faith.

It's not about us working for God.

It is all the work of God on our behalf.

See it there.

Verse 18,

all this is from God.

Verse 19,

God was reconciling the world to himself.

Verse 21,

God made him who had no sin

to be sin for us.

The initiative,

the momentum,

and purpose of reconciliation

are all from God.

God does something about it.

God does something about it.

God does something about it.

God does something about the sin

that has caused the enmity,

all of our rebellion against him.

He does something about it.

Verse 19 is the preliminary explanation

of how the reconciliation is brought about.

God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,

not counting men's sins against them.

That's the preliminary explanation.

In the work of reconciliation,

God doesn't count all of our rebellion against him,

against us.

He doesn't hold us accountable for it.

And verse 21 describes how it's possible

that God doesn't count our sins against us.

God made him who had no sin

to be sin for us.

So that in him,

we might become the righteousness of God.

The end of verse 19 says that

God doesn't want to count our sin against us.

And frankly,

we don't want God to count our sins against us.

The picture here is an account book.

And the account book has written in it

all that we've said,

all that we've done,

all that we've thought,

all that we are.

And verse 21 says that

my sin

is not put to my account.

But that account book

with my name on it

and everything that I have done,

everything that I've thought,

everything that I've done

in rebelling against God

has been put into Jesus' account book.

my name has been scratched off the top

and Jesus has been put there

and I have got Jesus' account book.

my account of sin has been put by God

to the account of his sinless son.

Jesus has taken my place on the cross.

He bore my sin in his body on the cross.

He has been judged in my place.

All the horrors of the crucifixion

is what I, Steve Jeffrey,

deserve for all of eternity

without any relief

including the hope of physical death

from that so that the suffering would end.

No ending for all of eternity

is what I deserve

for my rebellion against God.

And verse 15, sorry, verse 10

says that that's what God will do

to everyone

who rejects him.

He was made sin.

The sin of the world,

that terrible burden,

offense to God,

all the hostility,

the enmity,

and the filth

that separates us from God

and causes us to deserve eternal torment

has been placed by God

unto his son,

the Lord Jesus Christ.

But,

that's only half the story.

Not only that,

but

his perfect,

unblemished righteousness

is put to my account.

I cannot be condemned

because

my record reads

perfect,

unblemished righteousness.

The only thing

that I contribute

to my reconciliation

with God

is the sins

from which I must be redeemed.

All I contribute

is debt,

sin

that I can never repay

and that only needs

to be wiped out.

It's the only hope

is for it to be declared

wiped out.

Now,

this is a trivial

illustration,

but it's kind of like

my wedding day.

As I exchanged

wedding rings

with Nat,

I said to her,

Natalie,

with this ring

I wed you

with all that I am

and all that I have

I honor you.

So,

in that moment

I promised

to

hand over

all that I am

to her.

of course

I had just

finished five years

of ministry training,

had a hex debt,

a car loan

and needed to borrow

$2,000

from my father-in-law

in order to get married

and

he figured

it was a cheap deal

longer term.

And so in that moment

I'm saying to her

there you are

it's all yours.

It's all yours.

And I know

it's trivial

but that's what

happens when you

become a Christian

you bring all

of your sin,

you bring all

of your

moral bankruptcy

and you say

to him

they're yours.

They're all yours.

And in his mercy

he receives them.

Our great God

receives them

and counts them

to the Lord Jesus Christ.

And he hands over

all of his perfect

righteousness

to me

and accounts them

to me

forever sealed.

Forever sealed.

It is to fill us

with wonder

and gratitude

and thankfulness

and humility

that the death

of one man

the God-man

Jesus Christ

could bear

the infinite penalty

as a substitute

for everyone

who repents

and trusts

in him.

As a side point

I am

greatly distressed

that in so much

of the church

in the western world

all we want to do

is talk about

the love of God

and to leave out

the crucial

central doctrine

of the penal

substitutionary

atonement

of the Lord Jesus Christ.

You cannot

understand

the love of God

for you in Christ

unless you understand

that a debt

had to be paid.

and he

bore it

for us.

It is essential

for our confidence

in this work

of reconciliation

that we see

the centrality

of Jesus

in it.

Notice

verse 18

through Christ

verse 19

in Christ

the reconciliation

of the world

to God

happens through

the death

and the resurrection

of Christ.

It is something

that's happened

in history

it is something

that is finished

and we have

no part

of it

and the word

world

in verse 19

is staggering

staggering

staggering.

It says

that what God

did

through the

death of his

son

the Lord

Jesus Christ

on a hill

outside the city

walls of Jerusalem

around about

AD 33

concerns the

reconciliation

of the entire

universe

with its creator.

Everyone

every culture

every tribe

every people

group

every language

comes under

that statement

the world.

Whatever

background

you come

from

we all

worship

a guy

who was

Jewish

2000

years ago

who declared

that I am

God

in this

world

reconciling

the world

to its

maker.

It's

the extraordinary

claim of the

New Testament.

It's the claim

verses 14

and 15

we are

convinced

that one

died for

all

and therefore

all died

and he

died for

all.

Jesus'

death

has

universal

significance.

He is

the reconciler.

There is

no reconciliation

with God

outside of

Jesus.

You don't

need anything

more than

Jesus but

you can't

have anything

less than

Jesus.

This message

of reconciliation

with God

through Christ

is our

message for

the nations

and the

stakes could

not be any

higher.

God calls

us clearly

through the

Apostle Paul

right through

2 Corinthians

you give

yourself to

this matter.

You give

attention to

this matter.

If you

are someone

right now

who's

you're not

sure whether

you're trusting

in the Lord

Jesus can

I say the

fact that

you're here

right now

this morning

the stakes

couldn't be

any higher

for you.

I implore

you on

Christ's

behalf be

reconciled to

God through

Jesus.

So the

message of

reconciliation

is what God

has done and

it can only

do through

Christ.

The ministry

of reconciliation

on the other

hand is what

God can only

do through

us.

So this

bit is for

those who

have received

the message

of reconciliation.

So this

bit is for

all Christians.

This is for

all of us.

Verse 20

We are

therefore

Christ's

ambassadors as

though God

were making

his appeal

through us.

Now the

main thrust

of verse

20 onwards

is that the

message of

reconciliation

reconciliation is

our ministry

of reconciliation

to the

nations.

This is what

God does

through us.

Verse

18

All this

is from

God who

reconciled us

to himself

through Christ

and gave us

the ministry

of reconciliation.

The ministry

is given to

us, not to

Christ or the

angels.

Verse 19

And he

committed to

us the

message of

reconciliation.

It's given

to us, not

to Christ or

the angels.

Verse 20

We are

therefore Christ's

ambassadors as

though God

were making

his appeal

through us.

He does it

through us, not

Christ, not

the angels.

Verse 20

Makes our

ministry very

clear.

We are

Christ's

ambassadors.

Now an

ambassador's

role, as we

would know, is a

distinguished one.

We speak, we

behave on

behalf of a

sovereign power.

We represent

that sovereignty

and the

honour of the

sovereignty is

at stake.

That's an

overwhelming

thought.

In his

death, Jesus

represents us

to God and

in his absence,

we represent

him to the

world.

If you

have received

the message of

reconciliation,

reconciliation,

then you

have the

responsibility

and will be

held accountable

for the

ministry of

reconciliation.

See the

connection in

verse 15?

He, that's

talking about

Christ, died

for all,

that those

who live

should no

longer live

for themselves,

but for him

who died for

them and was

raised again.

as a recipient

of the

message of

reconciliation,

my whole

life is now

deployed in

diplomatic

service.

I speak and

live in such

a way that

Jesus looks

like the

magnificent

treasure that

he actually

is.

And 2

2 Corinthians 6:3–10

Corinthians 6

verses 3

to 10

gives us a

glimpse into

the lifestyle

and the

expectations of

an ambassador

of the Lord

Jesus.

It's important

for us to

see this

because this

was confusing

for the

Corinthian

church.

This is not

a special

category of

Christians like

apostles or

missionaries or

ministers.

This is for

everyone.

What Paul

writes in

verses 3 and

4 is key.

We put no

stumbling block

in anyone's

path so that

our ministry

will not be

discredited.

We represent

the Lord

Jesus.

If the

ministry is

discredited,

the message

is discredited.

Jesus is

discredited.

You see,

when you see

yourself as

an ambassador

of Jesus in

chapter 5

verse 2 and

as God's

co-workers in

chapter 6

verse 1,

I actually

think there's

an inevitable

drivenness about

the service.

I think this

is the thing

that captivates

our life and

drives us with

their real

great deal of

focus and

attention.

I therefore

believe that if

you're casual,

you're laid

back, you're

comfortable, you're

happy to cruise

along, then I

would encourage you

to take another

look at the

diplomatic service.

Too many of us

are just happy to

go to church

once or twice

a month.

Occasional

devotional times,

give money here,

that's not

ambassador or

service.

Can I, first

of all, encourage

you that you

don't go to

church.

You belong to

one.

It is the

priority of your

life.

You belong to

a church.

And when you're

coasting and

cruising, it is

one of the sure

signs that you

have lost

confidence, you're

losing heart.

look at Paul's

lifestyle here.

It is in fact a

lifestyle that

commends the

greatness and the

glory and the

wonder of the

Lord Jesus to

the world.

It's a sacrificial

service is his

lifestyle.

Verse 4 again,

chapter 6,

rather, in other

words, rather than

being a stumbling

block, rather than

discrediting the

ministry of the

Lord Jesus, rather

as servants of

God, we commend

ourselves in every

way.

So how does the

Apostle Paul

commend himself in

his service?

In great

endurance, in

troubles, hardship,

distresses, in

beatings, in

imprisonments and

riots, in hard

work, in sleepless

nights and hunger, in

purity, in

understanding, in

patience and

kindness, in the

Holy Spirit and in

sincere love, in

truthful speech and

in the power of

God with weapons of

righteousness in the

right hand and in

the left.

world.

That's his

diplomatic service.

Instead of being

embittered and

frustrated and angry

and resentful by all

the afflictions and the

hardships and the

calamities and the

labors and the

sleepless night, by

God's grace, Paul has

shown patience and

kindness and love and

he is continually

propelled forward.

His spirit has not

been broken by the

pain of his

ministry.

In the Holy

Spirit he has found

resources to give and

to not grumble and to

keep focusing on his

duty to the Lord

Jesus.

To be patient in

God's timing rather

than to pitying

himself.

To be kind to

people rather than

taking it out on

others.

There are six

paradoxes, if you

like, in verses

8 to 10 of

chapter 6, I

want to just focus

on one because

for me, this one

sums up all of

them.

Verse 10.

This is the one I

think.

And this, I

believe, is what

our world needs to

see displayed in

Christ's ambassadors.

Verse 10.

Sorrowful, yet

always rejoicing.

What?

Sorrowful, and yet

always, how do you

put those together,

Paul?

What this world

needs from Christ's

fellow workers is an

unshakable joy in

Jesus in the midst of

suffering and sorrow.

Not serving him when I

feel the joy, when the

things are, suffering and

sorrow is over, then I'm

free to serve him.

When the kids are

sore and the

marriage, and I've

got the work is

settled, then I'll

serve him.

That's not what Paul's

saying here.

There are countless

reasons for our hearts

to break in the service

of the Lord Jesus.

But in them all, we do

not cease to rejoice.

One of the great

paradoxes of the

Christian life, and I

believe this is unique to

the Christian faith, it

displays the wonder of

God that we serve, that

we can be sorrowful and

yet always rejoicing.

No other religion

offers you that.

When you have Jesus, you

can lose everything else

with joy.

That's what our world

needs to see from

Christians.

The grace of God is so

infinitely valuable.

people.

Our vision here at

St. Paul's is to

unite our diverse

community in the good

news of the Lord

Jesus, which means

that he is our joy.

And whatever your

cultural background

says is your ultimate

joy, Jesus trumps it

all.

Don't care what it

is, Jesus says, I'm

better.

I am your joy.

And our community

needs to embrace Jesus

as their only hope and

their deepest joy, and

they need to see it in

us.

What do you think it

says to them when we

have a casual, take it

or leave it approach to

Christ's demands over

our lives?

Jesus has given us a

job, and Paul pushes

the point in chapter 6

verses 1 and 2, as

God's co-workers, we

urge you not to receive

God's grace in vain, for

he says, in the time of

my favor I heard you, in

the day of salvation I

helped you, I tell you

now is the time of God's

favor, now is the day of

salvation.

Now in those couple of

verses, Paul is making

both a simple point and a

slightly more complex

point.

In verse 2, Paul quotes

from Isaiah 49 verse 8,

Isaiah 49:8

which was just read out to

us, written hundreds of

years earlier, and what does

he say?

He says, for he says.

Paul is actually using the

tense in that verse, which

means that God is still

saying.

What he said hundreds of

years earlier, he is still

saying now.

He is still speaking.

That's the really simple

point he's making there.

This God who spoke then

continues to speak with

authority now.

He is, however, a

slightly more significant,

deeper point, complex

point.

What God has said throughout

history, he's still saying,

the slightly more complex

point is that in Isaiah 49,

God is speaking to his

servant who we know now to

be the Lord Jesus Christ.

God is saying that he has

heard his servant.

In Isaiah 49, he's heard

his servant.

He has come to the aid of

his servant and he has

helped the servant to

fulfill his mission.

And that's exactly what Jesus

has done throughout his life.

in his death and his

resurrection and opening the

way for humanity to be

reconciled with God and

given them eternal life.

God has equipped him and

helped him for that mission.

The day of salvation was the

day of the servant, the day of

the death of Jesus for the

reconciliation of humanity to

their God.

And in quoting that verse to

the Corinthians in the present

tense, Paul is now saying

that the day of salvation is

continuing in the present

through the servants of the

servant.

That's the point he's making.

First with Paul and then

those who embrace the gospel

through Paul.

God is saying now is the time

to embrace the gospel.

And it falls on every single one

of us to listen and to

respond unless we ourselves

receive the grace of God in

vain.

When God speaks to us as he

does in the present, it is to

take priority over everything in

our life.

That's Paul's point here.

It is so easy to slip into this

Corinthian mindset and just put

God on pause.

I'll respond to you when I get my

life back together.

I'll respond to you when everything

suits.

way too much of our modern church

has bought into this view that

God exists for me.

He exists to meet my needs, to get

me out of trouble when I'm in it

and pretty much stay out of my way

the rest of the time.

Now, very few of us actually

articulate our theology like that,

but it is our operational theology

because it's the way we live our

lives.

We come to church when it suits.

We get involved when my life is in

order.

And so we embrace the grace of God

in vain.

Time with God is often the first

thing to go when the moments of

pressure are on.

Giving, serving stops in crisis

moments or just busy times.

Why?

Because our operational theology is

God is there to serve me.

And yet what it says here is the

normal Christian life is a life of

diplomatic service.

All other pursuits serve that

pursuit.

Our support of them is diplomatic

service in and of itself.

And so I want to say to those

gathered here now

who haven't received Jesus,

I urge you to receive God's grace in

the Lord Jesus.

Today is the day of salvation.

I urge you to receive God's grace.

He's calling you to receive him.

To surrender to him.

To stop putting him to one side.

To stop operating as if he's there to

serve you and to fully serve you.

And you may have sat in churches all

of your life.

I loved hearing the story

I read it this week of a Christian man

who had spent his entire life in church

involved in a global ministry.

Global ministry.

And in his 20s

discovered the gospel for the first time.

Christ died for all

that those who live should no longer

live for themselves but for those

but for him who died for them

and was raised again.

That is for you who've received this message.

Give yourself to its service.

The ministry of reconciliation

is sheer hard work.

It's not being ambassador

when it feels right

or when it seems correct

or a positive response is there.

It's guaranteed

or when it's convenient to do so.

It is to shape your whole life.

I loved hearing the story

of an elderly Christian man

recently dying of cancer.

His main concern

was to die so well

that those around him

caring for him,

nurses, doctors, family

just saw Jesus

and the joy of Jesus.

He hadn't lost heart

in the troubles

and the distresses

and the hardship.

He hadn't

just

given up.

So maybe that's you.

Over time

there's been a loss of heart.

Just happy to cruise along.

Happy to kind of

just spend your time

talking,

thinking about theology,

Christian huddles,

that kind of stuff

but not actually

giving yourself

to the work of God

in this world.

Maybe you're

trading on past stories.

Someone who got converted

somehow around you

10, 15, 20 years ago.

Maybe you've lost heart.

As recipients of the message

of reconciliation

you've been called

to make this message clear.

That is your purpose,

it is your calling,

it is your ministry.

Give your life

to God's global agenda

by holding out

this message

from a heart of love

and a life of service.

As we've sung this morning

and I might add

with a little bit of gusto

and I hope it's true.

Christ alone

is our ceaseless message.

Grace and peace

is the overflow

of our lives.