The scripture reading comes from 2 Corinthians.
Please follow along in your bulletin or on the screen.
From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh.
Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh,
we regard him thus no longer.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
The old has passed away.
Behold, the new has come.
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself
and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.
That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself.
Not counting their trespasses against them
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ,
God making his appeal through us.
We implore you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God.
For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin,
so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Working together with him, then,
we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
This is the word of God.
Great. Thanks, Christina.
Let's pray together for a few minutes.
Sovereign Lord, great and glorious God,
the majestic and mighty one,
we come before you this morning,
not presuming on your grace,
but we come before you, Father, with humility,
with a sense of fear and trembling,
aware of your awesomeness and our depravity,
aware, God, of your glory and our great need for you.
Father, where we do come self-confident,
we ask you to forgive us, God,
to humble us, Lord, to find grace in you.
God, you say that you oppose the proud,
but you give grace to the humble.
Oh, God, make us a humble people,
and therefore those that receive your grace, God.
What a dreadful thing it would be
to be opposed by the sovereign God.
Father, we humble ourselves before you today.
God, we so need you.
We come this morning full of weakness and limitations.
God, we carry in our hearts the brokenness of this world,
the brokenness of our own lives,
and God, we are so aware of our desperate need for you.
We've come to worship and adore you,
to praise your greatness,
but also, God, we've come to find our hope
and our rest in you,
to find our strength and our peace in you.
Christ, come and minister to us this morning, we pray.
Even as you have already,
we pray that you continue to minister to us.
God, as we read your word this morning,
we see the wonder of the gospel,
the beauty of the gospel, God.
We also see your great calling for us
to be your agents of hope and healing in this world.
And so, Lord, we pray that as we don't just read this word,
but as we ponder over it the next half an hour or so,
as we open up your word,
we pray that you will write your gospel deeply on our hearts.
We pray that as a church at Watermark,
we will be deeply, deeply moved by the truths of the gospel, God,
that it will set us free.
It will give us hope in our hearts, Lord, in the city.
But we pray, God,
that also you will cause us to be agents of your gospel,
as we see in this word this morning, Lord.
God, help us to see what you're doing in this world
and to join you, as that incredible verse said,
to work with you in what you're doing in this world.
God, we pray that as a church family,
we will be faithful to what you've called us to.
God, may you look on us as a church family
and say, with you I'm well pleased,
my good and faithful servants.
Speak to us, we pray.
Lead us and guide us, God.
Show us how to follow you and obey you, Lord.
Lord, as a city, this last year has seen so many challenges
and help us to know how to respond correctly,
how to neither feel sorry for ourselves
nor to be overconfident in ourselves.
God, help us to humble ourselves before you.
And so we do pray, God,
that Hong Kong will be a great city again.
Not great in earthly terms,
not great in necessarily wealth or sophistication,
great before you, God.
A city that takes care of its people,
a city that is humble before you.
Make us a great city in your eyes, Lord.
Finally, Father, this morning,
we want to pray again for our city,
for our continent, Asia,
and for the world around the coronavirus.
For those that are sick, we pray, be with them.
For those that are stuck in quarantine,
God, pray, minister to them.
For those that are at home this morning,
because they cannot leave,
Lord, minister to them, we pray.
Father, for those that have lost loved ones,
and are grieving the loss of loved ones,
Father, minister to them, draw near to them.
God, we pray for our parents and scholars and students,
those that have had school and university closed,
those that are needing to homeschool their kids,
we pray, strengthen them, minister to them.
We pray this next month will be good for families, God.
We pray for your grace.
Father, we pray finally for countries
that are experiencing large surges in the virus.
Pray for South Korea, God.
Pray for Iran and Italy.
Pray for the governments and the medical staff and doctors.
God, pray for the churches in those countries.
May they be salt and light, God,
as we pray for ourselves.
We pray these wonderful things in your magnificent name.
Amen.
Well, once again, welcome.
My name is Kevin, if you don't know me.
And if you're visiting from one of the other churches in Hong Kong,
I've met some of you this morning.
A warm welcome.
Great to have you.
You know, a number of churches have needed to close down their services.
And so if you're part of the larger body of Christ in Hong Kong,
welcome.
It's great to have you with us this morning.
Being part of the people of God means being part of the mission of God.
And what is the mission of God?
It's to bring hope and healing to a lost and broken world.
That was the main point of the sermon two weeks ago.
And as I try to show you us, that is not just a point of a sermon.
That is one of the main points of the Bible.
That God is at work in the world.
God has not abandoned his world, but he's moved towards his world in grace,
bringing hope and healing and redemption.
But he's doing that, not arbitrarily.
He's doing that through his people, through his church.
And then last week, Ed unpacked the Great Commission, Matthew 28.
Jesus says, go into all the world and make disciples, followers of Jesus,
teaching them to obey everything that I've taught you.
And then Chris looked at Peter chapter 3, who said,
always regard Christ as Lord.
And when you do that, then be ready to always give a reason for the hope that is within you.
Now this morning, Ed and Chris are preaching in Yunlong at Paul's church.
Paul, who was with us a few weeks ago.
And they are taking that message there.
And so this morning, we continue with this theme of God's call for us as a church to be on mission,
to join him in what he's doing in the world.
Now this morning, we're going to look at this passage in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 16 and onwards.
And if you're here at the end of January, this passage should be familiar,
because Oscar preached from this very passage a few weeks ago.
I hope you picked that up.
And Oscar magnificently unpacked the gospel, the fact that in Christ we are a new creation.
This morning, I want us to look at this passage again, not because Oscar didn't do a good job,
but because it is so rich and there's so many facets to it.
And we're going to look at the gospel briefly,
but then we're going to look at the main implication that Paul draws from the gospel.
So Paul establishes the gospel and then he says,
okay, the implication of this is, therefore, be on mission with God.
And so we're going to look at that together.
So let's look at this passage in 2 Corinthians chapter 5.
And the context is this.
The apostle Paul goes to Corinth many years before and he plants this church.
And while he's away, some other people come to the church in Corinth and they say,
you guys listen to that Paul fellow?
Come on.
He's not very impressive.
He's not very sophisticated.
I mean, just look at him.
He doesn't even talk that eloquently.
And if Paul is not that impressive, then maybe his message isn't that impressive.
And so these people are coming to this church in Corinth,
and they're downplaying the wonder of the gospel because they're saying,
Paul's not a very impressive man,
and therefore maybe his message and his ministry aren't that impressive.
And so Paul writes this chapter to show them,
he says, yes, maybe I'm not impressive.
I'm fallen and I'm fallible as a person.
But the message of the gospel and the ministry that we've been given is magnificent.
Okay, so that's what this chapter is all about.
So look what he says here in verse 16.
He says,
What's Paul saying here?
He's saying that there was once a time when we assessed people,
sized people up from a purely humanistic perspective,
a purely worldly perspective,
or in the words that Paul uses here,
he says,
According to the flesh.
In other words,
we would look at people and work out their value or how significant they were
from a worldly perspective,
what careers they had,
how successful they were in their job,
where they stayed in Hong Kong,
what their culture or their background or their ethnicity were.
And so some people we would be in awe of and enamored by them.
And some people we would look down at them.
And then he says,
But something changed.
He says,
From now on,
no longer do we regard people according to the flesh.
Something's changed.
And what's changed?
Well,
Paul encountered the gospel.
And when he encountered the gospel,
that changed the lens through which he saw other people and himself,
and in fact,
the whole world.
He says,
Now the gospel helps us to see all people,
including ourselves,
in a different light,
which is that we're broken,
we're lost,
that we're sinners in need of grace.
But also,
if we've come to Christ,
if someone has come to find their hope in Jesus,
that we are eternally loved and accepted and esteemed and valued by the God of all creation.
You see that?
Previously,
we used to size people up and judge people according all sorts of criteria.
But now the gospel has given us a different lens.
Now we see all people,
whether working in the red light industry or the CEO of a big bank,
all of us in the same light.
We are sinners in need of grace,
but if in Christ,
loved and esteemed by him.
As that great preacher,
Oscar Chow once said,
The gospel is the great equalizer.
And it really is,
right?
It really does,
it just levels the playing field for all of us.
And then he says,
we even once viewed Christ this way.
Once upon a time,
we looked at Jesus and we thought,
he's this poor peasant from the backwaters of Nazareth.
Can anything good come out of Nazareth?
Can he teach us anything?
Hey,
born to an unwed mom,
is there anything good that's going to come from Jesus?
But now the gospel has helped us to see us as we really are.
But it's also helped us to see Jesus for who he really is,
the savior of the world.
And so ever since encountering the gospel,
everything has changed.
And so Paul says,
a Christian is someone who's come to see Christ for who he is,
also come to see themselves for who they are,
and in light of that sees the world as it really is.
Now,
in verse 13,
Paul's going to elaborate,
elaborate on what a Christian is.
And in fact,
he's actually going to give us two definitions of a Christian,
somebody that's encountered the gospel.
The first thing is,
he says this,
a Christian is not just someone who's trying to be religious.
A Christian is not just someone who's trying to improve their lives,
make their lives better.
A Christian is not just someone who's trying to honor God and serve God in the
hope that maybe when they die and they get to heaven,
God will be forgiving towards them.
No,
a Christian is someone who in the most fundamental part of their lives has been
recreated,
renewed.
Look at what he says here in verse 17.
It says,
if anyone is in Christ,
he is a new creation,
a new creation.
The old is gone and the new has come.
Friends,
a Christian is someone who was once dead to God because of our sin,
but has been made alive in Jesus.
A Christian is someone who was once controlled by our own self-centered desires,
living for me,
but now is free from that.
A Christian is someone who wants to live for themselves,
but now since coming to know Christ has been won over for Christ and now lives
for God and his glory.
Friends,
a Christian is someone who's in a being,
the control center of our lives,
our hearts was once self-orientated,
but now has been made new and changed.
In fact,
a Christian is someone who is so different that Paul says,
it's like a new creation has been born.
John Newton,
the famous guy who wrote Amazing Grace,
he said this,
I'm not what I hope to be.
That's true for me.
I'm not what I one day will be when I get to glory,
but by the grace of God,
I'm not what I used to be.
See,
God's grace comes and changes us.
And as Paul says,
it's like making us a completely different person.
How many of us have heard stories of,
of people who in coming to Christ,
family members have then come and said,
what have you done to my husband?
What have you done to my children?
They're like a new person.
I remember I was once in,
Claire and I,
when we first got married,
went to Czech Republic and we met a pastor there.
And I said to him,
how did you become a Christian?
And you know,
Czech Republic is one of the most atheist countries in the world.
Less than 1% go to church.
He says,
I was a university student.
Atheist didn't believe in God whatsoever.
I was riding on the trains to university and I met this guy from Zambia.
And every day he would share the gospel with me.
And so one day after hearing the gospel,
I'm quite moved by it.
I'm challenged by it.
And so I go home to my girlfriend and I say,
do you know what this guy's been telling me on the train?
And he shares the story of the gospel with her.
She believes she goes to her room,
gets on her knees and says,
God,
if it's true,
make yourself known to me.
She becomes a believer that day,
but he's still not so sure.
And so over the next week or two weeks,
he sees such a radical change in her that he suddenly believes it must be true.
And he gets on his knees and he says,
Christ,
come and have your way in my life.
He becomes a follower of Jesus.
He said to me,
I led my first person to Christ before I even believed.
Let his girlfriend to Christ.
But the point was she changed.
There was such a dramatic change in her life that had led him to see there must be something different.
Friends,
the gospel is a power that changes us.
And what brings about this change?
Where does it come from?
Well,
look at verse 18.
All this is from God.
Friends,
God is the great orchestrator of this.
If God is at work in your life,
if God is changing your life,
if you've recently become a follower of Jesus,
if you've seen the evidence of God's spirit at work in you,
it's not because you have amazing pastors.
As wonderful as this church is,
it's not because of this church.
It's because the great God of the universe changes people.
He's at work in your life.
God,
by his spirit,
is working in people.
All this is from God.
He's the one who gives life to the spiritually dead.
He's the one who gives sight to the blind.
Friends,
if,
as we pray often,
as I prayed at half past five this morning,
when I was praying for Hong Kong,
God,
send revival to Hong Kong.
Renew the city.
Friends,
if that happens,
that won't be because of any strategic brilliance of any humans.
It'll be because God in his sovereignty has ordained it.
If anyone is in Christ,
he is a new creation.
All this is from God.
But now,
look at verse 18 and 19.
Because here Paul is going to give us the second description of a Christian.
So the first thing is,
a Christian is someone who has been made new in their heart.
But secondly,
look at what he says here.
A Christian is someone who has been reconciled to God.
Verse 18,
all this is from God,
who through Christ reconciled us to himself.
And again,
verse 19.
That is,
in Christ,
God was reconciling the world to himself,
not counting men's trespasses against them.
So here's the second description of a Christian.
A Christian is someone who was once estranged from God,
once alienated from God,
on account of his or her sinful nature,
but now has been reconciled or reunited.
A Christian is someone who was,
where once there was animosity,
now there is welcome.
Where once there was enmity and strife,
now there is friendship.
Where once there was alienation,
now there is reconciliation.
And friends,
that prior state of being alienated from the God that made us,
and loved us,
and created us,
and gave us everything that we have and need,
being estranged from God,
that is the natural state of every human being,
apart from the gospel,
apart from the grace of God.
But now,
in Christ,
because of Jesus and his death,
reconciliation between God and man is possible.
Friends,
that is the very heart of the gospel.
That is the central message of what the Bible is all about.
This is what God is doing in the world.
That though human beings,
in our natural condition,
are cut off from God,
under his judgment,
under his wrath,
because of our sin,
God has not abandoned the world.
He's moved towards us in incredible grace and love.
By sending Jesus to die on the cross,
to take upon himself,
our sin and our judgment,
now poured out on Jesus,
in our place,
so that our sins aren't counted against us,
but are now counted against Jesus.
As Paul says in verse 21,
we read it earlier,
for our sake,
I need a,
I need a handheld mic,
I mean a wireless mic.
I practiced this this morning with my hands.
For our sake,
God made him,
that's Jesus,
who knew no sin,
to become like a sinner,
to take on sin,
so that in him,
we who are sinners,
might become the righteousness of God.
Do you see what happens there?
There's this double exchange that takes place.
Christ takes on our sin,
and we become righteous before God.
Friends,
all this is so that we can be reconciled to the God who made us.
Friends,
isn't reconciliation such a beautiful thing?
I don't know if you've ever had this,
where a relationship that's really meaningful to you,
maybe your spouse,
maybe your children,
maybe your parents,
maybe a dear friend,
where there's some tension,
there's friction that takes place,
misunderstanding,
and you just,
it feels like it's jarring,
it feels like you're not seeing eye to eye,
and you lie awake at night,
you're tossing and you're turning,
you can't sleep,
you can't rest,
and suddenly one person says,
hey,
can we talk about this?
I'm sorry.
And the other person says,
I'm sorry.
Now,
please forgive me.
Friends,
isn't reconciliation one of the most beautiful things in the whole world?
Friends,
now God says,
the God who made us,
the God of the universe and the cosmos,
the God who knows you better than you know yourself,
the God who loves you,
that God has made a way for,
where there once was friction and animosity,
intention,
and under his judgment and his wrath,
now reconciliation is taking place.
Now there is welcome and embrace.
Now he says,
I love you,
my son and my daughter.
Dear friend,
have you been reconciled to this God?
Do you know him?
Do you know his love and his tenderness?
Do you know his warm embrace?
Friends,
are you still trusting in yourself to save yourself?
Are you trusting in your righteousness or your good works or your moral performance?
Are you trusting in your religious devotion?
Friends,
we've said it many times and we'll say it again.
Apart from Jesus,
you have no hope.
You cannot save yourself.
There is nothing you can do in this world to rescue and redeem and to be reconciled to God.
Put your hope in Jesus.
Friends,
the one who loves you the most and knows you the best,
the one who went to the cross for you,
he went to the cross that you might be reconciled to the God who made you for a relationship with him.
Friends,
do you know him?
Do you know him?
As Paul says later on in this chapter,
I implore you,
be reconciled to God.
Friends,
maybe for some of us who have been running away from God,
maybe you're still coming to church,
but in your heart,
you're drifting away from him.
Maybe in your heart,
you're making decisions that you know the relationship is being strained.
Friends,
be reconciled to him.
Don't go another day.
Don't go another hour.
Friends,
don't go another minute.
Be reconciled to God.
For in Christ,
he who knew no sin became sin for us,
that we might become the righteousness of God,
that we might be reconciled to him.
Friends,
this is the heart of the Bible.
This is the heart of Christianity.
This is what the gospel is all about,
that in Christ,
God is reconciling the world to himself,
not counting men's trespasses against him.
Isn't that good news?
It's great news.
If you're not convinced,
it's great news.
Now,
that is part one.
Okay?
Now,
in the second part of this passage,
he gives us part two.
Part one,
you could say,
is the ground,
or the foundation,
of Paul's ministry.
Paul's entire ministry is grounded on this.
The gospel,
right?
That's the message.
In part two,
he's now going to give us the implications of that message,
which is his ministry,
or his mission.
So,
the ground,
or the foundation of his ministry,
is the message of the gospel.
The goal of his ministry,
is the mission of Jesus.
And in the next couple of verses,
he's going to oscillate,
between the message,
and the mission.
Okay?
These two things.
He's going to go left foot,
right foot.
It's like,
it's like an airplane.
You need two wings to fly an airplane.
It's like pedals of a bicycle.
You need two pedals.
Okay?
And Paul's going to keep on jumping,
between one and two.
The message of the gospel,
and the mission of the gospel.
Let's see how he does this.
Look at verse 18 with me.
All this,
is from God,
who through Christ,
reconciled us to himself.
Okay?
That's the message.
Now the mission.
And gave us,
the ministry of reconciliation.
So God is reconciling sinners to himself.
That's what he's doing in the world.
By sending Jesus to die,
on the cross.
He is now at work in people's hearts.
But those that he has reconciled,
if you're a follower of Jesus,
this morning,
that's you.
Those that he has reconciled,
he is now given a ministry of reconciliation.
In other words,
when God saves somebody,
ransoms somebody,
rescues somebody,
reconciles somebody,
he also brings that person
into his reconciliation mission,
into the world.
In other words,
being reconciled to God,
being a Christian,
is not distinct or separate
from being part of his mission
of reconciliation into the world.
In other words,
being those that have received
the good news of Jesus
is not distinct or separate
from his calling
to be those who carry
the good news of Jesus
into the world.
Being those who have been
changed by the gospel
is not distinct
from being those
who tell others about the gospel.
Or in the words of Genesis 12,
those that have been blessed
by the gospel
are called to bless others
with the gospel.
And so Paul says
the exact same thing
in the next sentence.
Look at verse 19.
He says,
that is,
in Christ,
God is reconciling
the world to himself,
not counting their trespasses
against him.
Okay,
that's the message,
the gospel.
Now,
entrusting to us
the message of reconciliation.
So do you see that?
Paul's saying
these two things,
being reconciled
and being agents
of reconciliation,
these two things
go together.
Now,
you could say,
okay,
Kevin,
but isn't that just
the apostles,
right?
Maybe Paul's just
talking about himself.
Maybe he's saying,
I,
Paul,
you know,
the apostle
who wrote half
the New Testament,
I have been reconciled
and I have been given
this message
of reconciliation.
But the rest of you,
well,
you know,
you just go on
doing what you want.
Well,
look what he says.
the same people
that he talks about
being reconciled
is the same people
who are given
this ministry
of reconciliation.
He says,
God,
who through Christ
reconciled us,
okay,
to himself,
gives us,
those same people
that he's reconciled,
the ministry
of reconciliation.
Who has he given
the ministry
of reconciliation to?
Those that he's reconciled.
Who is he sending out
as his missionaries?
Those that have
received the gospel.
Friends,
it's not just
the pastors
and the elders
and those that work
at the church
as staff.
It's all believers.
So we could say it
like this.
Central to the gospel
is that those
that were once
alienated from God
have been reconciled
and central
to what it means
to be a Christian
is to be an ambassador
of reconciliation
in our world.
Friends,
just think about
what incredible
responsibility
and privilege
this is.
The gospel
is so precious.
It's the hope
of the world.
It's the hope
of our city.
It's the hope
of our lives.
Friends,
the gospel
is the thing
that's going to bring
hope and peace
to our city again.
It's the thing
that can bring together
fractured
and warring parties.
It's the thing
that can quieten
the anger
and the frustration
and the restlessness
of our city.
The message
of the gospel
is a power
that changes
people's lives
and it can change
a city.
And this precious
treasure,
which is more precious
than all the gold
in the world,
this treasure
God has entrusted
into our hands.
I know it sounds foolish.
I wouldn't have done it
if I was God.
But somehow
in his wisdom
he has entrusted
this message
into our hands
to take into
the city
to people
like you and I.
And so in verse 20
Paul says the same thing.
He uses a different analogy.
He says,
therefore,
we are ambassadors
for Christ.
God making his appeal
to this world
through us.
Friends,
what do ambassadors do?
We have some friends
from Ambassador Church
here this morning.
What do ambassadors do?
Ambassadors speak
on behalf
of their government.
Now,
in the 21st century
often ambassadors
engage in negotiation.
In the Roman world
there wasn't a lot
of negotiation.
The Roman Empire
they just annexed somebody
and then they sent
their ambassador
to tell their colony
what to do.
So when you're
an ambassador from Rome
there wasn't a lot
of negotiation.
You just told somebody
what to do.
Friends,
God says that
he's called his people
to be ambassadors.
To speak on behalf
of the king of heaven
to a rebel world
that there is hope
for the world.
He's called us
to speak on behalf
of him
as his spokesperson
to represent
his interests.
Friends,
this morning
we're ambassadors
not of Rome,
not of Hong Kong,
not of the family business
or the family name
but of the reconciling
God of the universe.
And what is the message
that he's given us
to deliver?
That in Christ
reconciliation
for rebels
is possible.
That in Christ
God is reconciling
the world to himself.
Not counting mankind's
trespasses against them.
That if anyone
is in Christ
he is a new creation.
Friends,
that God made him
who had no sin
to be sin for us
so that in him
we might be
the righteousness
of God.
This is our privilege.
We are entrusted
with this message
as his ambassadors.
God making
his reconciliation
appeal
through us.
Is that not
an incredible privilege?
Oh my goodness,
it is.
Now,
friends,
how does this
transform
your week
and your life?
Imagine every day
waking up
with this sense
of conviction.
Today I am
an ambassador
for the king of heaven.
Today I am
God's agent
to bring reconciliation
to the world.
Friends,
how would that change
the way that we live
our lives?
Yesterday morning
I was going to
pick up a bed
from Kennedy town
to our house
youngest daughter
and wanted a bunk bed
and so got this bed
and ordered the go-go van
and so while I am
in the go-go van
I am having this conversation
with my new friend Sam
the go-go van driver
and he asks me
what I do
so I say
I am a pastor
and what do you think
about faith?
Well,
he says
I don't believe anything.
Oh,
why is that?
Why don't you believe anything?
And then we were both
wearing face masks
and actually he was wearing
a face mask
and so I said
oh,
you know,
the coronavirus
what do you think
about that?
Well,
Hong Kong's gone through
a difficult time
this last year
what are your thoughts
about Hong Kong?
Where do you find hope,
Sam?
And so we have this conversation
in the go-go van
about the hope of the world
where you can find hope.
Now the reason I did that
was because I was preaching
this message this morning
and I was aware
that there in a go-go van
God has placed me
to be an agent
of reconciliation.
Here's my friend Sam
who does not know
the God who made him
for a relationship with him
the one for whom
Jesus died on the cross
and had his blood poured out
the one who Jesus said
Father,
it is finished.
Christ hung on the cross
for my friend Sam
and he doesn't know
the great love of God
and maybe there's nobody else
that he's going to meet
in this next year
that knows Jesus
and God has put me there
in the van
as an agent
of reconciliation
to help Sam
get to know
this God of the universe.
Friends,
when you go to work tomorrow,
you go there to do a job
and we do that job properly.
Okay?
It's good to work hard
but you don't just go to a job.
You go as an ambassador
of the king,
as an agent for reconciliation
to help those
that do not know
the love of Christ
come to know him.
Friends,
how would this change
the way we do parenting?
We don't just think
of parenting
as raising our kids
to send them
to a good school,
to go to a good university,
to get a good job.
We raise our kids
that they will know
the problem of sin
in the world
and the wonder of Jesus
and what he's done
on the cross.
To teach our kids
how to fear God
and to love him deeply.
Friends,
what happens if we saw
our social engagements,
not just as having
a drink with a friend
after work
but as a time
to listen
to the pain
and the hurt
in people's hearts
and to help
give a reason
for the hope
that is within us
and to show them
that there's hope
in this world.
Friends,
God has called us
to be agents
of reconciliation.
For those of us
that are followers
of Jesus this morning,
those that have been
reconciled to God,
can I ask us,
how is our
ambassadorship going?
Friends,
how faithful
are we being
with the task
that the sovereign God
has entrusted
to your care?
Have you neglected
this task?
task he's given you?
Are you faithfully
discharging your duties
with diligence
and care?
The last few days
I've done a lot
of repenting
as I've thought
about this.
How so often
I neglect
the great call
that God has put
on our lives
as followers of Jesus.
On Friday night
we were flying back
from Thailand
and I was sitting
in the airplane
and I was frantically
typing away
trying to finish
off the sermon
and on the way
back from the airport
half past 11
on Friday night
I realized
there was a lady
sitting next to me
fully donned
in coronavirus
gear, right?
The rain jacket
and the plastic gloves
and the mask
and the laboratory goggles
and everything
and for two and a half hours
I sat next to her
on the plane
typing out a message
about reconciliation
and did not have
one conversation
with her.
And so in the taxi
I was like
God I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry.
You've called me
to be an agent
of reconciliation.
I was more concerned
with my own work
than this person
knowing you.
Father forgive me.
As we come to a close
I want us to
finally look at
what does this mean
practically
and the way to do this
I want us to look at
the book of Acts
and look at Acts chapter 5
and we want to look at
how the early church
did this
and then draw a couple
of practical applications.
So in Acts chapter 5
the story is this
Jesus sends out
his apostles
to be his witnesses
he says
wait until you receive
the Holy Spirit
of Pentecost
comes upon them
empowers them
and they go out
witnessing for Jesus
and as they do that
many people
are coming to faith
in Christ.
It's just
the city of Jerusalem
is being turned
upside down
and people are
following the apostles
and listening to their teaching
and the religious leaders
are getting jealous
because more people
are now following
and flocking
to the apostles
than listening
to the religious leaders
and so the religious leaders
have the apostles
arrested and thrown
in jail
to try and
quieten down
this uproar
in the city.
Well
the apostles
are in jail
and that night
an angel
miraculously
opens the gates
of the jail
and sets them free.
Now
if you're a spiritual
seeker this morning
you might think
come on
that stuff
doesn't happen
right
who believes
those kind of things
but just take note
the book of Acts
was written by
Luke
who's a physician
and Luke
was commissioned
by a Roman official
called Theophilus
to write
to investigate
the claims of Jesus
and to investigate
the early church
and then to write
a report for him.
So the book of Acts
isn't like a PR stunt
or written from an angle
it was an investigative report
commissioned by a Roman official
to this physician
to write for him.
So you can trust
the facts of the book of Acts.
So
this angel
opens the gates
and if I was in the prison
I would have said
thank you God
time to go home
and to look after myself.
But that's not what
the angel says.
He says
go into the town square
go to the temple
and go and tell people
about Jesus.
Now they've just been arrested
for doing that
right?
And he says
go back and tell them
the words of life.
So they say
okay.
So they go to the town square
they go to the temple
and they start telling people
about Jesus.
Very soon
the religious leaders
find out exactly
what's happening
and they have them
arrested again.
And they bring them
before the council
called the Sanhedrin
and look at what they say.
They say this
in chapter 5
verse 28.
It says
we strictly charged you
not to teach
in this man's name
and yet here you are
filling Jerusalem
with your teaching.
Church
is it possible
that one day
people could accuse us
of that
in Hong Kong
if we link up
with other churches
and work with other
great churches
in our city
and plant new churches
in our city
that one day
people could say
you guys
you're filling Hong Kong
with your teaching
about Jesus.
May it be so.
If you're a guest
here this morning
just so you know
that's what we're trying
to do.
We're not trying
to build a big church
or a fancy church.
We're trying to fill Hong Kong
with the message of Jesus.
That's what we're on about.
So that's what they do.
They're filling Jerusalem
with the wonder
message of Jesus.
Except
that's exactly
what they were told
not to do.
And so the authorities
come to them
and they say
what are you doing?
We told you
not to do this.
So look what Peter says
in verse 29.
Peter and the other apostles
answer them
and say
but we must obey God
more than man.
Okay?
He says
we know you've said that
but God's told us otherwise.
We're going to obey him.
Well look at how well
this is received.
Verse 33
it says
when they heard this
they were enraged
and decided
to kill them.
Things have escalated
a little bit.
From going to jail
to now
being killed.
So they have this
council meeting
and at the council meeting
one of the leaders
Gamaliel says
guys this is not a good idea.
Let's not kill them.
Just charge them
and just
this thing will die out.
If it's not of God
it'll die out.
So they agree with him.
Verse 40 says this
when they called the apostles
they beat them
they charged them
not to speak
in the name of Jesus
and then they let them go.
Then the apostles
left the presence
of the council
rejoicing
that they had been
counted worthy
to suffer dishonor
for the name of Jesus.
And every day
in the temple courts
from house to house
they did not cease
teaching and preaching
that Jesus
is the Christ.
Okay what do we learn
from this?
Three very quick things
and we're done.
First is this
being an ambassador
for Christ
is hard
and often unwelcomed.
Friends if you
are a follower
of Jesus this morning
you've got to reconcile
the fact that
what Jesus calls you to
may not make you
the most popular
person in town.
Sometimes it's hard
sometimes it's unwelcomed.
No way in the Bible
does it say
that being obedient
to Jesus
is a bed of roses
or going to be easy.
If you're a follower
of Jesus this morning
he's calling you
to be a missionary
and ask any missionary
sometimes it involves
suffering
sometimes it involves
persecution
sometimes it involves
rejection
often involves
heartache.
It means giving up
certain privileges
to things that you
previously thought
were just normal
or entitled to.
It means being
misunderstood
being accused
of ulterior motives.
It means persistence.
I love how the
apostles here
they preach
about Jesus
they get arrested
they get released
they go back
and do the same thing
they get arrested again
and then the last
verse is
so every day
they did not cease
they did not stop
going from house
to house
in the temple courts
telling everybody
that the Christ
is Jesus.
This unbelievable
persistence
they just would not
give up
in the face
of opposition.
Friends
being an ambassador
for Christ
is often hard
often unwelcomed
but it's a wonderful
and a privilege.
Second thing is this
being an ambassador
for Christ
requires us
to know
where our allegiance lies.
When they're arrested
the second time
the authorities
come to them
and say
what are you doing?
We told you not
to do this
and Peter doesn't say
oh sorry
we misunderstood you.
He doesn't say
oh gee
we didn't hear you.
Sounds like parents
right?
You ask your kids
seven times
to do something
and say
sorry
I didn't hear you.
That's not what
Peter says.
He says
we know
but I'm sorry
we've got a higher
allegiance.
His name is Jesus
and he has asked us
to do this.
We've got to listen
to him.
Friends
you know
if you're a Christian
today
Jesus doesn't
just save us
to forgive us
he calls us
into his kingdom
with Christ
as our king.
Before you Christians
the Bible says
you're a slave
to your own desires
now you're a slave
to Christ.
Before we are
Christians
we follow our own
desires
now we follow Christ.
In becoming a Christian
you switch allegiance
from your own kingdom
to the kingdom of Christ.
Jesus is a savior
reconciler
but he's also king.
He's also lord.
And so that means
that we have a higher
allegiance
allegiance to Christ
who's our king.
Third thing is this
being an ambassador
for Christ
requires that we know
the gospel deeply
and love Christ
lavishly.
that verse we looked
at last week
1 Peter 3
regard
honor Christ
in your hearts
as Lord
always being ready
to give a reason
for the hope
that is within you.
Friends
when opposition
comes your way
when persecution
comes your way
when it's tempting
just to buckle down
and just be quiet
when it's tempting
to just live a life
of comfort
and convenience
what's going to help us
turn the tide?
What's going to help us
not live for ourselves
but live for others?
Friends
it's going to be
when our hearts
are reminded
of the wonder
of Jesus
when our hearts
are warmed
by what Christ
has done for us
when we remember
that once we were
alienated from God
under his judgment
and his wrath
but now have been
welcomed as his sons
and daughters
friends
when the love of Christ
washes over our hearts
and floods our hearts
that is when we'll be
ambassadors for Christ
that's when we'll be
missionaries
friends
if we're going to
turn this city
upside down
if we're going to
fill the city
of Hong Kong
with the message
of Jesus
the first thing
we need is
for our own hearts
to be in awe
and overwhelmed
by what Christ
has done for us
that once we were
sinners
still sinners
once we were
lost and broken
once we were
alienated
and cut off
once under his
judgment
and his wrath
and now welcomed
as his sons
and his daughters
friends
Christ has called us
to be his agents
of reconciliation
Jesus is calling us
to stay
to go into the
public square
to be ambassadors
for him
so let the city
and our world
know
that there is
hope in Jesus
let's pray
just before we pray
I said earlier
that
as I consider
a message like this
and this scripture
from my own heart
I'm compelled
to get to my knees
in repentance
as I consider
how often
I live for myself
and not for Christ
I cannot help
but
calling out to God
for his mercy
and his forgiveness
friends
maybe some of us
here
we need
the best way
to respond
is by
acknowledging
God
we've
not heeded
your call
to be your ambassadors
God
we've enjoyed
the reconciliation
you've given us
but we've neglected
being agents
of reconciliation
in our city
let's come before
our father
and ask him
to forgive us
great and sovereign
God
we do
God
your word
exposes us
your word
God
is like a mirror
to our souls
it shows us
what's really there
father
so often
we enjoy
the benefits
of the gospel
but we neglect
the calling
that you've given us
to be agents
of hope
and reconciliation
in our world
father
forgive us
father
as we
ponder
the wonder
of what you've
done
by sending
your son
and Jesus
you sending
the Holy Spirit
to change us
to make us
a new creation
and you've
reconciled us
to yourself
God
we
we want to
become agents
of hope
for our world
Lord
and so we
pray God
send us out
we pray God
that tomorrow
morning
when we wake up
we wake up
with a sense
of your calling
your divine
calling
on our lives
God
may we know
what this means
and looks like
for us
God
may we say
yes to you
Father
for those of us
that
have been
over the last
few weeks
or months
slowly shrinking
back from you
maybe we've
been making
decisions
or engaging
in sin
hardening our
hearts towards
you
God we want
to be reconciled
to you
this morning
we want to
come and say
we're sorry
God
Father thank you
that the gospel
reminds us
that you took
the first step
you're not waiting
for us to take
the first step
you've taken
the first step
towards us
by sending
Christ the Son
to die
on the cross
and now God
you've sent
us your word
saying
be reconciled
to me
Father we're
sorry
won't you
take us
back
forgive us
Lord
Christ come
and have your
way in our
hearts and our
lives we pray
come and don't
just be
saviour
come and be
our Lord
come and be
our King
we pray these
things in your
name
Amen