WEBVTT 00:00:00.420 --> 00:00:06.580 Good morning, I'm Jeff, I am one of the pastors here at Advent, and if this is your first 00:00:06.580 --> 00:00:10.880 time joining us, I just want to wish you a warm welcome, and I would love to say hello 00:00:10.880 --> 00:00:13.240 and to meet you after the service. 00:00:15.120 --> 00:00:21.740 My freshman year of college, I lived in Easton Hall at the University of Maryland, College 00:00:21.740 --> 00:00:22.820 Park, go Terps. 00:00:23.679 --> 00:00:29.980 And in Easton Hall, there's several hundred students, and Stephen was one of the, the 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:34.619 first people that I met during the first few weeks of the semester. 00:00:35.420 --> 00:00:41.280 We became fast friends, hanging out together in the dorm late at night, eating in the dining 00:00:41.280 --> 00:00:45.620 halls, having fun, spending time together with other people on our floor. 00:00:46.480 --> 00:00:53.039 We would often have kind of those typical dorm room conversations late at night, where you 00:00:53.039 --> 00:00:58.560 sort of stay up late at night talking about politics and the meaning of life and the existence 00:00:58.560 --> 00:01:01.460 of God and all of the deep mysteries of life. 00:01:02.760 --> 00:01:07.579 And in those, in the midst of those conversations, I had a chance with Stephen to share what I 00:01:07.579 --> 00:01:14.100 believed as a Christian about the good news of who Christ is and what he came to do. 00:01:14.859 --> 00:01:19.680 And in conversation, I learned that he, although he was interested in talking about faith, that 00:01:19.680 --> 00:01:27.680 he had a lot of objections, questions, skepticism about Jesus and about faith. 00:01:28.360 --> 00:01:34.000 And I tried my best to sort of answer his questions and objections as well as I was able to. 00:01:34.700 --> 00:01:38.880 But as the semesters went on, we had about two years of conversation. 00:01:39.100 --> 00:01:43.880 And after two years of conversation, Stephen remained pretty unconvinced. 00:01:43.879 --> 00:01:47.679 And eventually, to be honest, I felt really discouraged. 00:01:48.780 --> 00:01:55.739 I felt really discouraged about if he would ever come to know Christ through the message 00:01:55.739 --> 00:01:56.199 of the gospel. 00:01:56.359 --> 00:01:58.039 I wondered if he would ever come to faith. 00:01:58.819 --> 00:02:03.979 And not only did I was discouraged about him coming to faith, but I also doubted my own 00:02:03.979 --> 00:02:05.140 efforts to share the gospel. 00:02:05.899 --> 00:02:08.280 Maybe I wasn't doing a good enough job. 00:02:08.359 --> 00:02:09.939 Maybe I wasn't sharing it clearly enough. 00:02:09.939 --> 00:02:12.400 Maybe I wasn't doing a good enough job answering his questions. 00:02:12.400 --> 00:02:18.219 If you've ever tried to share the gospel with somebody, you probably know something of this 00:02:18.219 --> 00:02:18.960 discouragement. 00:02:20.060 --> 00:02:21.080 Let's be honest. 00:02:21.620 --> 00:02:23.780 Sharing our faith is hard. 00:02:25.020 --> 00:02:26.719 And it's hard for a variety of reasons. 00:02:27.439 --> 00:02:30.939 We live in a culture where faith is a private thing. 00:02:31.099 --> 00:02:32.620 It's okay to be a person of faith. 00:02:33.700 --> 00:02:35.040 But that's private. 00:02:35.240 --> 00:02:38.520 It's not okay to try to change other people's views or persuade them. 00:02:38.520 --> 00:02:44.219 And so I think, if we're honest, I think a lot of us probably worry what others might think of us 00:02:44.219 --> 00:02:47.460 if we bring up topics of faith or Christianity. 00:02:47.960 --> 00:02:53.980 People might think that we're intolerant or unintelligent or perhaps even immoral. 00:02:55.360 --> 00:03:00.500 And I think, just being honest, I think for some of us, I think it just makes us feel uncomfortable 00:03:00.500 --> 00:03:01.640 and a little weird. 00:03:01.639 --> 00:03:07.379 And so we just kind of avoid it altogether because we don't want to rock the boat in our friendships 00:03:07.379 --> 00:03:08.000 and relationships. 00:03:08.979 --> 00:03:14.299 Perhaps maybe this is why you've never really tried to share your faith, knowing how thorny 00:03:14.299 --> 00:03:18.819 and difficult it is and how difficult it is and all the social and cultural pressures that 00:03:18.819 --> 00:03:19.479 make it so. 00:03:20.899 --> 00:03:25.419 But it was no less difficult to share the gospel in the first century when the Apostle Paul was 00:03:25.419 --> 00:03:30.359 seeking to persuade people in a Grecan-Roman world about the claims of Christ. 00:03:31.479 --> 00:03:38.000 But nonetheless, here in 2 Corinthians 5, he is adamant that sharing the gospel is the calling 00:03:38.000 --> 00:03:38.959 of every Christian. 00:03:40.500 --> 00:03:44.919 And that's true because it is part of God's reconciling work in the world. 00:03:46.079 --> 00:03:51.859 And although we won't really get into the how or the mechanics of sharing the gospel this 00:03:51.860 --> 00:03:53.940 morning, we are going to explore the why. 00:03:55.440 --> 00:04:00.400 Because if we can understand the why for why we should share our faith, we will figure out 00:04:00.400 --> 00:04:00.760 the how. 00:04:02.320 --> 00:04:08.020 Why should we share the gospel even when it's so incredibly difficult? 00:04:08.640 --> 00:04:13.580 That's what we're going to look at here in the second half of 2 Corinthians 5. 00:04:14.080 --> 00:04:18.139 And here in these verses, Paul gives us at least three motivations. 00:04:18.139 --> 00:04:22.800 At least three motivations for sharing our faith, even when it's hard. 00:04:23.219 --> 00:04:24.839 And we're going to look at all three of them. 00:04:25.800 --> 00:04:31.439 And the first motivation that he gives us is this, that we are compelled by love. 00:04:32.279 --> 00:04:33.759 We're compelled by love. 00:04:34.719 --> 00:04:39.759 Verse 11, Paul says this, therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. 00:04:40.620 --> 00:04:42.000 We persuade others. 00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:48.079 And this is, I think, something that we should address because this is troubling, I think, 00:04:48.120 --> 00:04:49.000 to a lot of people in our culture. 00:04:49.800 --> 00:04:54.160 Not only does the idea of evangelism make a lot of people squirm in their seats and feel 00:04:54.160 --> 00:04:58.399 uncomfortable, but as we've already said, a lot of people in our modern culture would 00:04:58.399 --> 00:05:01.379 say that it's wrong to try to change someone else's beliefs. 00:05:02.519 --> 00:05:05.579 Because faith and religion are a private thing. 00:05:05.579 --> 00:05:11.159 It's fine to believe in whatever God that you want to believe in, but it's disrespectful, 00:05:12.079 --> 00:05:15.120 perhaps even immoral, to try to change someone else's views. 00:05:16.800 --> 00:05:18.839 But let's just look at that and let's talk about that. 00:05:18.899 --> 00:05:20.019 Let's think about that for a second. 00:05:21.539 --> 00:05:29.120 If you agree, if you say it's disrespectful or even immoral to try to persuade somebody about 00:05:29.120 --> 00:05:38.300 their religious beliefs to try to change someone's opinion, if you believe that, is that an idea 00:05:38.300 --> 00:05:41.800 that you would want other people to believe? 00:05:42.959 --> 00:05:47.240 Is that an idea that you would want to persuade other people is true? 00:05:48.600 --> 00:05:53.439 And if you do, do you see, perhaps, the inconsistency in that? 00:05:53.780 --> 00:05:58.120 What you're doing is you're actually doing the very thing that you're saying people shouldn't 00:05:58.120 --> 00:05:58.379 do. 00:05:59.120 --> 00:06:05.160 And that's true because all of us, at the end of the day, want to persuade people about 00:06:05.160 --> 00:06:05.780 some things. 00:06:06.220 --> 00:06:10.819 We all want to, we all wish that people believed the same way that we do about some things. 00:06:10.860 --> 00:06:17.040 And so to say it's wrong to try to change someone else's views is to be inconsistent. 00:06:18.199 --> 00:06:25.740 On the other hand, for Christians, the fact that sharing our faith involves persuasion is 00:06:25.740 --> 00:06:27.459 why it's so hard. 00:06:27.459 --> 00:06:29.859 And it's why a lot of us probably avoid it. 00:06:31.000 --> 00:06:35.199 Persuading people of the claims of Christ, of the good news of the gospel, is hard, difficult 00:06:35.199 --> 00:06:35.639 work. 00:06:36.680 --> 00:06:38.319 It might not go well. 00:06:39.039 --> 00:06:40.319 I might fail at it. 00:06:40.359 --> 00:06:45.199 It might jeopardize my reputation or my relationship with this person. 00:06:45.199 --> 00:06:51.839 I certainly experienced that as I sought to share the gospel with Stephen my freshman year of 00:06:51.839 --> 00:06:52.199 college. 00:06:52.599 --> 00:06:56.740 But here's what both modern secular people and Christians need to both understand. 00:06:56.740 --> 00:07:02.439 That all of us are evangelists about something. 00:07:03.100 --> 00:07:05.120 All of us are evangelists about something. 00:07:05.120 --> 00:07:07.519 I'm an uncle. 00:07:07.819 --> 00:07:08.780 I love being an uncle. 00:07:08.959 --> 00:07:11.240 I have six nieces and nephews. 00:07:11.620 --> 00:07:13.800 And I love spending time with them. 00:07:13.860 --> 00:07:14.879 I love talking about them. 00:07:14.879 --> 00:07:23.399 But perhaps no one in the world loves talking about my nieces and nephews more than my mom. 00:07:24.480 --> 00:07:27.079 Because she is their grandmother. 00:07:27.500 --> 00:07:32.379 And if you know anything about grandparents, if there's one thing that grandparents can't 00:07:32.379 --> 00:07:34.620 stop talking about, it's their grandkids. 00:07:35.319 --> 00:07:42.939 Grandparents have a love for their grandkids that is almost too hard to put into words. 00:07:42.939 --> 00:07:47.800 And if you are talking to a grandparent and if you don't want to hear about their grandkids, 00:07:48.759 --> 00:07:50.160 it actually doesn't matter. 00:07:50.980 --> 00:07:54.959 Because you're going to hear about them regardless of whether you want to hear about them or not. 00:07:55.000 --> 00:07:56.019 They're going to tell you about them anyway. 00:07:56.399 --> 00:08:01.699 Listen, all of us in this room are grandparents about something. 00:08:02.159 --> 00:08:06.360 We're all evangelists about something because we love to talk about what we love. 00:08:07.600 --> 00:08:09.279 We love to talk about what we love. 00:08:09.319 --> 00:08:10.060 We can't help it. 00:08:10.060 --> 00:08:17.780 And this is what Paul says here in verse 14 and 15 about where our heart for evangelism comes from. 00:08:18.519 --> 00:08:19.759 In verse 14, he says, 00:08:20.060 --> 00:08:25.000 For it's the love of Christ that controls us, that compels us. 00:08:25.340 --> 00:08:28.259 Because we have concluded this, that one has died for all. 00:08:29.240 --> 00:08:31.639 And that those who live might no longer live for themselves, 00:08:31.720 --> 00:08:34.779 but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 00:08:34.779 --> 00:08:41.519 Our primary motivation to share the gospel is certainly not guilt, 00:08:41.659 --> 00:08:45.480 but it also shouldn't be a sense of duty or religious obligation. 00:08:46.779 --> 00:08:49.079 But the love of Christ. 00:08:49.240 --> 00:08:51.459 We share the gospel with people because we love them. 00:08:52.459 --> 00:08:56.559 But even more so, because Christ loves them. 00:08:57.120 --> 00:09:00.240 Because he died and was raised for them. 00:09:00.240 --> 00:09:06.500 And so if you struggle with this idea of evangelism, of sharing the gospel with others, 00:09:06.860 --> 00:09:07.940 and by the way, we all do. 00:09:08.779 --> 00:09:10.620 We all struggle with it to some degree. 00:09:11.899 --> 00:09:18.200 I think this text would show us that the first place to start is not the how. 00:09:18.399 --> 00:09:21.080 It's not to learn strategies or techniques, 00:09:21.080 --> 00:09:29.180 but it's in asking God to give you a deeper experience of the love of Christ. 00:09:30.080 --> 00:09:31.440 That's where evangelism starts. 00:09:31.560 --> 00:09:34.700 It starts with Christ's love for the world, 00:09:35.139 --> 00:09:39.200 and it starts, as that shapes us, that gives us a heart for others. 00:09:40.560 --> 00:09:42.220 And so if you struggle with sharing your faith, 00:09:42.360 --> 00:09:48.480 I would encourage you to pray and ask God to give you a deeper experience of the love of Christ, 00:09:48.560 --> 00:09:49.520 because that's where it starts. 00:09:49.519 --> 00:09:52.559 So first of all, we're compelled by love. 00:09:53.620 --> 00:09:57.159 And secondly, we are made ministers of reconciliation. 00:09:57.539 --> 00:09:59.100 We're made ministers of reconciliation. 00:09:59.759 --> 00:10:03.699 This word reconcile is repeated five times in five verses. 00:10:03.899 --> 00:10:07.860 It's Paul's main theme that he's trying to address in this passage. 00:10:08.639 --> 00:10:12.039 And this word reconcile in the Greek has kind of two senses to it. 00:10:12.340 --> 00:10:16.399 There's a relational aspect of it, and there's also an economic aspect of it. 00:10:16.399 --> 00:10:21.699 The relational sense is to restore a relationship that has been broken, 00:10:22.299 --> 00:10:25.740 where there's been alienation, where there's been separation. 00:10:26.559 --> 00:10:28.679 But it also has an economic sense. 00:10:29.179 --> 00:10:36.419 And the economic sense of reconciliation is to exchange two things of equal value between two parties. 00:10:36.419 --> 00:10:42.779 And both this relational and economic sense of this word are both about being made right again. 00:10:42.779 --> 00:10:48.299 And this is the heart of the Christian faith, that God is on a mission to reconcile the world. 00:10:48.539 --> 00:10:51.240 He's on a mission to make things right again. 00:10:52.139 --> 00:10:56.919 And this is an area of common ground that we have with all people. 00:10:57.120 --> 00:11:01.639 Most people don't need to be persuaded that things have gone terribly wrong, 00:11:01.639 --> 00:11:04.299 and that things need to be made right. 00:11:05.319 --> 00:11:10.199 As we even look at macro problems of things like war and poverty and injustice and violence, 00:11:11.299 --> 00:11:14.559 what we share with everybody is that things have gone terribly wrong, 00:11:14.600 --> 00:11:15.699 and they need to be made right again. 00:11:15.699 --> 00:11:20.620 But the Bible's unique diagnosis is that what's wrong with the world out there 00:11:20.620 --> 00:11:23.740 is also what's wrong in here. 00:11:23.740 --> 00:11:28.740 The evil, the injustice, the selfishness that's out there in the world 00:11:28.740 --> 00:11:31.799 is also inside each and every one of us. 00:11:31.879 --> 00:11:36.100 And therefore, not just social systems, 00:11:36.220 --> 00:11:39.639 but every single person needs to be reconciled, 00:11:39.720 --> 00:11:41.600 needs to be made right with God. 00:11:42.340 --> 00:11:47.000 The bad news is that there's nothing that we can do ourselves about this, 00:11:47.000 --> 00:11:52.620 but the good news is that God is on a mission to reconcile the world to himself. 00:11:53.740 --> 00:11:58.240 Verse 19 says that in Christ, God is doing this. 00:11:58.320 --> 00:12:00.139 In Christ, God is reconciling the world to himself, 00:12:00.279 --> 00:12:03.139 not counting men's trespasses against them. 00:12:03.919 --> 00:12:05.220 But how does this happen? 00:12:06.299 --> 00:12:11.379 How does God not count people's trespasses against them? 00:12:11.399 --> 00:12:15.639 How does God reconcile a world that is in rebellion against him 00:12:15.639 --> 00:12:16.700 and that deserves his justice? 00:12:17.340 --> 00:12:20.100 Well, Paul makes it very clear here in verse 21. 00:12:20.100 --> 00:12:27.700 He forgives sin because he became sin. 00:12:27.820 --> 00:12:34.200 Verse 21, for our sake, he made him, Christ, to be sin, 00:12:35.080 --> 00:12:40.840 who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 00:12:41.940 --> 00:12:44.120 He forgives sin because he became sin. 00:12:44.200 --> 00:12:46.160 And this is where we start to see the nature of the gospel, 00:12:46.159 --> 00:12:51.259 that what is offered to us in the gospel is this sweet exchange. 00:12:51.839 --> 00:12:55.039 It's this sweet exchange that Jesus is the son of God. 00:12:55.120 --> 00:12:55.819 He's fully human. 00:12:55.939 --> 00:12:56.659 He's fully divine. 00:12:57.379 --> 00:12:59.500 And he lived this sinless, perfect life. 00:13:00.360 --> 00:13:05.000 And the way God reconciles the world to himself is that he exchanges all of our sin, 00:13:05.519 --> 00:13:10.079 all of our sin for all of the righteousness of Christ. 00:13:10.799 --> 00:13:12.059 It's this sweet exchange. 00:13:12.059 --> 00:13:16.659 And then verse 17 describes what happens to those who receive the sweet exchange. 00:13:17.479 --> 00:13:20.979 Paul says, therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. 00:13:21.659 --> 00:13:23.059 The old has passed away. 00:13:23.759 --> 00:13:25.019 Behold, the new has come. 00:13:26.039 --> 00:13:30.079 And when we hear this word, new creation, 00:13:30.219 --> 00:13:33.259 our minds should immediately go back to Genesis 1 and 2. 00:13:33.259 --> 00:13:38.080 The same power of God that was at work to create the whole universe, 00:13:38.179 --> 00:13:39.879 to create all things in heaven and on earth, 00:13:41.000 --> 00:13:45.539 is also present in conversion to recreate us, 00:13:45.600 --> 00:13:48.100 to regenerate us, and to give us new life. 00:13:49.080 --> 00:13:52.200 To be a new creation means that we get a completely new nature, 00:13:52.299 --> 00:13:56.240 where God transforms us from the inside out by the power of the Holy Spirit. 00:13:56.240 --> 00:13:59.879 So the gospel is this incredibly good news that through Jesus, 00:14:00.060 --> 00:14:06.299 God reconciles us to himself through this sweet exchange and makes us new creations. 00:14:07.279 --> 00:14:08.440 But look at what comes next. 00:14:08.580 --> 00:14:14.419 And this is where we see the key in our motivation for sharing the gospel. 00:14:14.840 --> 00:14:16.060 Verses 18 through 20. 00:14:16.059 --> 00:14:20.359 All this is from God, 00:14:20.979 --> 00:14:26.799 who through Christ reconciled us to himself through the sweet exchange. 00:14:27.319 --> 00:14:28.759 But then look at what comes next. 00:14:29.239 --> 00:14:34.479 And gave us the ministry of reconciliation. 00:14:35.459 --> 00:14:37.979 That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, 00:14:38.099 --> 00:14:40.219 not counting their trespasses against them, 00:14:40.220 --> 00:14:43.480 and entrusting to us, 00:14:44.560 --> 00:14:49.180 entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 00:14:50.019 --> 00:14:52.700 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, 00:14:53.500 --> 00:14:57.000 God making his appeal through us. 00:14:57.840 --> 00:15:02.360 God entrusts those who have been reconciled to him as new creations 00:15:02.360 --> 00:15:05.940 with the message of reconciliation. 00:15:05.940 --> 00:15:12.200 The reconciled become the reconcilers. 00:15:13.780 --> 00:15:19.580 The Battle of Marathon was fought in 490 BC 00:15:19.580 --> 00:15:24.140 between the armies of Athens and between the army of Persia. 00:15:25.100 --> 00:15:29.900 And there's this legend about this Athenian herald named Pheidippides. 00:15:30.840 --> 00:15:34.160 A herald is a messenger or a courier that would travel between cities 00:15:34.159 --> 00:15:37.759 to bring news before there was newspapers and internet. 00:15:38.839 --> 00:15:42.679 At the time, Persia was the military powerhouse. 00:15:42.759 --> 00:15:45.339 They were the global power in the region. 00:15:45.839 --> 00:15:48.199 And the Athenians were kind of the underdog. 00:15:49.379 --> 00:15:51.839 And after the Battle of Marathon had ended, 00:15:51.959 --> 00:15:53.879 after these two armies had fought this battle, 00:15:54.559 --> 00:15:56.100 this messenger named Pheidippides 00:15:56.100 --> 00:15:58.959 ran from the city of Marathon 00:15:58.959 --> 00:16:00.759 to the city of Athens 00:16:00.759 --> 00:16:03.860 to deliver the news about the outcome of the battle. 00:16:04.699 --> 00:16:08.659 And those of you who are runners might know this aspect of the story. 00:16:08.740 --> 00:16:11.139 The distance was about 26 miles. 00:16:11.839 --> 00:16:14.980 And this is where the distance of a marathon run comes from. 00:16:15.039 --> 00:16:15.939 It comes from this story. 00:16:16.919 --> 00:16:19.779 And Pheidippides runs 26 miles and he enters the city. 00:16:20.339 --> 00:16:21.600 And he goes into the public city 00:16:21.600 --> 00:16:26.219 where all the city magistrates are meeting and deliberating. 00:16:26.220 --> 00:16:31.019 And you can imagine how exhausted he was after running these 26 miles. 00:16:31.680 --> 00:16:34.500 And you can imagine everybody in the city square 00:16:34.500 --> 00:16:37.000 and how on the edge of the seats they were, 00:16:37.060 --> 00:16:38.840 how eager they were to hear the news 00:16:38.840 --> 00:16:41.740 of how the battle had ended one way or the other. 00:16:43.000 --> 00:16:45.399 And Pheidippides comes into the public square 00:16:45.399 --> 00:16:46.740 with all these people gathered around, 00:16:46.840 --> 00:16:48.040 all these people on the edge of their seats. 00:16:48.039 --> 00:16:51.480 And he says to them, he cries out in a loud voice, 00:16:52.519 --> 00:16:54.899 joy to you, we have won. 00:16:55.899 --> 00:16:58.000 Joy to you, we have won. 00:16:58.039 --> 00:17:00.899 And it was this good news of incredible joy 00:17:00.899 --> 00:17:03.779 that changed life as Athenians knew it. 00:17:03.819 --> 00:17:06.619 And it actually changed the course of civilization. 00:17:07.379 --> 00:17:08.559 Historians, centuries later, 00:17:08.639 --> 00:17:10.079 would reflect on the battle of Marathon 00:17:10.079 --> 00:17:12.519 as the battle that started and ushered in 00:17:12.519 --> 00:17:15.279 the golden age of democracy for Greece 00:17:15.279 --> 00:17:18.579 of which we are in debt. 00:17:19.680 --> 00:17:22.740 Friends, to be entrusted with the message of reconciliation, 00:17:23.359 --> 00:17:27.660 to be a herald, is to be like Pheidippides. 00:17:27.859 --> 00:17:30.119 Jesus has already won the battle. 00:17:30.220 --> 00:17:33.559 He has defeated our great enemies of sin and death and Satan 00:17:33.559 --> 00:17:36.079 in his cross and in his resurrection. 00:17:36.480 --> 00:17:38.940 And we have been entrusted as heralds 00:17:38.940 --> 00:17:42.240 to take that message of victory to the world. 00:17:42.980 --> 00:17:45.019 To say to our friends and our neighbors, 00:17:46.379 --> 00:17:49.680 joy to you, Christ has won. 00:17:50.420 --> 00:17:51.500 The king of the universe, 00:17:51.619 --> 00:17:52.879 the one who has made heaven and earth, 00:17:52.940 --> 00:17:56.460 has made you his ambassador to the world. 00:17:57.019 --> 00:17:58.960 He has entrusted you with his message 00:17:58.960 --> 00:18:01.579 that he is reconciling the world to himself. 00:18:03.160 --> 00:18:05.220 Not counting men's sins against them, 00:18:05.279 --> 00:18:07.559 but offering them this sweet exchange. 00:18:08.559 --> 00:18:10.000 Making them into new creations 00:18:10.000 --> 00:18:12.180 and giving them the righteousness of Christ. 00:18:12.180 --> 00:18:14.180 And he has given us, he has given you, 00:18:15.259 --> 00:18:18.820 the responsibility and the privilege and the honor 00:18:18.820 --> 00:18:20.940 of heralding that message. 00:18:22.000 --> 00:18:24.840 God is making his appeal. 00:18:25.700 --> 00:18:29.160 He is announcing the news of the victory that he has won 00:18:29.160 --> 00:18:31.880 through you, through me. 00:18:31.880 --> 00:18:36.360 And I think that when we hear that 00:18:36.360 --> 00:18:37.560 and when we read that in this text, 00:18:37.620 --> 00:18:40.240 I think all of us probably think to some degree, 00:18:40.620 --> 00:18:44.300 why on earth would God give us that responsibility? 00:18:44.920 --> 00:18:46.420 Like what on earth is he thinking? 00:18:46.720 --> 00:18:48.300 Why wouldn't he just do it himself? 00:18:48.480 --> 00:18:50.860 I mean, he would be so much better at it than we would. 00:18:50.920 --> 00:18:54.100 You would think that he would do something more rational 00:18:54.099 --> 00:18:56.980 or more strategic than entrusting this gospel message 00:18:56.980 --> 00:19:03.459 to ordinary, broken, imperfect, sinful people 00:19:03.459 --> 00:19:04.159 like you and me. 00:19:06.039 --> 00:19:07.439 But I think if we reflect on this, 00:19:07.480 --> 00:19:08.839 I think this is where we get to see 00:19:08.839 --> 00:19:11.699 the wonder and the joy and the beauty 00:19:11.700 --> 00:19:17.200 of being heralds, of being ministers of reconciliation. 00:19:17.940 --> 00:19:20.440 Because as we share the gospel with others, 00:19:20.860 --> 00:19:24.240 we realize how wild it is 00:19:24.240 --> 00:19:27.660 that he has entrusted us with the message 00:19:27.660 --> 00:19:28.559 in the first place. 00:19:28.980 --> 00:19:31.180 That although we're the ones who rebelled against God, 00:19:31.259 --> 00:19:32.840 although we're the ones who have turned our backs 00:19:32.840 --> 00:19:33.559 against him, 00:19:34.700 --> 00:19:37.220 that he has done all the work of reconciliation 00:19:37.220 --> 00:19:41.200 and he invites us into the joy 00:19:41.200 --> 00:19:43.100 of bringing that good news, 00:19:43.180 --> 00:19:44.579 of being heralds to the world. 00:19:45.460 --> 00:19:48.740 I think one of the reasons why God has entrusted us 00:19:48.740 --> 00:19:50.880 with the message of the gospel, 00:19:51.180 --> 00:19:53.519 why he has entrusted us to be ministers of reconciliation 00:19:53.519 --> 00:19:57.360 is for it to be a means 00:19:57.360 --> 00:20:00.720 of us to experience the good news of a gospel 00:20:00.720 --> 00:20:01.960 for ourselves. 00:20:02.779 --> 00:20:05.420 That as we go and tell the world about the love of God, 00:20:05.420 --> 00:20:09.660 that we ourselves would experience his love. 00:20:09.720 --> 00:20:11.300 That as we tell people about the grace 00:20:11.300 --> 00:20:13.200 and the mercy of Christ, 00:20:13.740 --> 00:20:16.400 that we would experience that same grace 00:20:16.400 --> 00:20:18.160 and mercy ourselves. 00:20:20.120 --> 00:20:21.740 And this is, if I'm being honest, 00:20:21.820 --> 00:20:24.640 this is what I started to experience 00:20:24.640 --> 00:20:29.100 as I, in fits and starts, 00:20:29.380 --> 00:20:31.259 and even as I failed miserably 00:20:31.259 --> 00:20:34.039 in many times trying to share the gospel 00:20:34.039 --> 00:20:35.279 with my friend Stephen, 00:20:35.960 --> 00:20:36.920 in Easton Hall, 00:20:37.360 --> 00:20:38.420 at the University of Maryland. 00:20:39.300 --> 00:20:41.500 As I bumbled through the process 00:20:41.500 --> 00:20:44.140 of trying to articulate the gospel 00:20:44.140 --> 00:20:45.920 and the good news of Christ to him, 00:20:46.640 --> 00:20:49.420 what happened was that I started to experience 00:20:49.420 --> 00:20:52.300 the good news of the gospel for myself. 00:20:55.400 --> 00:20:57.279 Friends, do you wanna grow in your faith? 00:20:59.680 --> 00:21:01.660 Do you wanna grow in your love for God? 00:21:01.759 --> 00:21:03.560 Do you wanna be transformed? 00:21:03.559 --> 00:21:06.899 Do you want the Holy Spirit to transform you 00:21:06.899 --> 00:21:07.759 to be like Christ? 00:21:09.559 --> 00:21:11.879 Ask God to give you an opportunity 00:21:11.879 --> 00:21:13.279 to share the gospel with somebody 00:21:13.279 --> 00:21:15.659 and see what he does. 00:21:18.019 --> 00:21:18.859 Evangelism, I think, 00:21:18.899 --> 00:21:20.419 is actually one of the ways 00:21:20.419 --> 00:21:21.940 that we most grow in our faith 00:21:21.940 --> 00:21:23.480 because we have this opportunity 00:21:23.480 --> 00:21:26.539 to, as we articulate the gospel, 00:21:26.539 --> 00:21:28.659 to experience the gospel for ourselves. 00:21:30.779 --> 00:21:35.200 The reconciled become the reconcilers. 00:21:35.259 --> 00:21:36.639 As God works through us 00:21:36.639 --> 00:21:38.000 to spread the message of the gospel, 00:21:38.500 --> 00:21:40.420 he also works in us 00:21:40.420 --> 00:21:43.659 to deepen our own experience of the gospel. 00:21:43.660 --> 00:21:48.960 So why should we share our faith 00:21:48.960 --> 00:21:49.660 even when it's hard? 00:21:49.740 --> 00:21:51.259 Well, first of all, we're compelled by love. 00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:54.220 It's the love of Christ that compels us to share. 00:21:54.680 --> 00:21:57.620 Secondly, we are made ministers of reconciliation. 00:21:58.600 --> 00:21:59.840 And thirdly, finally, 00:22:00.660 --> 00:22:03.160 in all this, 00:22:03.900 --> 00:22:05.120 we rest in the fact 00:22:05.120 --> 00:22:08.360 that the work of reconciliation is from God. 00:22:08.420 --> 00:22:10.040 The work of reconciliation is from God. 00:22:10.039 --> 00:22:12.200 We see this clearly in verse 18. 00:22:12.579 --> 00:22:13.420 Paul makes clear, 00:22:14.099 --> 00:22:15.559 even though we've been entrusted 00:22:15.559 --> 00:22:18.000 with the message of reconciliation, 00:22:18.519 --> 00:22:19.680 he says in verse 18, 00:22:20.159 --> 00:22:22.519 all this is from God. 00:22:22.659 --> 00:22:24.240 All this is from God. 00:22:24.279 --> 00:22:25.480 As we share our faith with others, 00:22:25.559 --> 00:22:26.259 it will be hard, 00:22:26.299 --> 00:22:26.899 and it will be hard 00:22:26.899 --> 00:22:28.859 for all the reasons we shared 00:22:28.859 --> 00:22:30.259 and perhaps many other reasons. 00:22:30.819 --> 00:22:32.379 The culture we live in is difficult. 00:22:33.039 --> 00:22:34.799 It's challenging to communicate our faith 00:22:34.799 --> 00:22:36.200 in a world where 00:22:36.200 --> 00:22:39.740 people think you have to keep your beliefs private. 00:22:40.039 --> 00:22:40.940 We might be afraid 00:22:40.940 --> 00:22:41.960 of what other people might think. 00:22:42.059 --> 00:22:43.299 We might be worried 00:22:43.299 --> 00:22:44.859 that they might reject us 00:22:44.859 --> 00:22:45.759 or think less of us. 00:22:46.339 --> 00:22:47.299 We might not know how. 00:22:48.319 --> 00:22:49.500 We might not know how 00:22:49.500 --> 00:22:50.539 to articulate the gospel 00:22:50.539 --> 00:22:52.159 or answer people's questions. 00:22:53.879 --> 00:22:56.000 But the incredibly good news in this 00:22:56.000 --> 00:22:59.039 is that the work of reconciliation 00:22:59.039 --> 00:23:01.940 isn't dependent on you. 00:23:03.019 --> 00:23:03.460 Why? 00:23:03.579 --> 00:23:04.720 Because God is ultimately 00:23:04.720 --> 00:23:06.639 the one who reconciles. 00:23:06.720 --> 00:23:09.119 He is the one who draws people to himself. 00:23:09.119 --> 00:23:10.119 He is the one who saves 00:23:10.739 --> 00:23:11.899 and redeems and transforms. 00:23:12.119 --> 00:23:13.059 We're just the heralds. 00:23:13.459 --> 00:23:14.339 We're just the messengers. 00:23:15.179 --> 00:23:15.979 Like Pheidippides, 00:23:16.759 --> 00:23:20.779 we get the privilege of saying to people, 00:23:21.519 --> 00:23:23.559 joy to you, Christ has won. 00:23:24.379 --> 00:23:26.139 But the battle has already been won. 00:23:26.199 --> 00:23:28.279 The work of reconciliation is finished, 00:23:28.279 --> 00:23:29.859 which means that we get all of the joy 00:23:29.859 --> 00:23:30.739 and all of the honor 00:23:30.739 --> 00:23:32.039 of being entrusted 00:23:32.039 --> 00:23:33.659 with the message of the gospel. 00:23:33.660 --> 00:23:37.300 But none of the pressure of success. 00:23:38.840 --> 00:23:40.740 All of the pressure of success, 00:23:41.000 --> 00:23:43.220 all of the results depend on God and not us. 00:23:43.259 --> 00:23:43.940 That's his work. 00:23:45.200 --> 00:23:46.279 And so if we share the gospel 00:23:46.279 --> 00:23:48.380 and no one ever comes to faith, 00:23:49.200 --> 00:23:50.360 we don't despair, 00:23:50.440 --> 00:23:51.279 we don't get discouraged 00:23:51.279 --> 00:23:54.540 because it's not on us. 00:23:54.840 --> 00:23:57.480 God is the one who reconciles people to himself. 00:23:58.160 --> 00:23:59.279 If we share the gospel 00:23:59.279 --> 00:24:00.920 and by God's grace, 00:24:01.000 --> 00:24:02.440 we see people come to faith, 00:24:03.000 --> 00:24:04.839 then we can remain humble 00:24:04.839 --> 00:24:07.279 because it's not on us. 00:24:07.359 --> 00:24:08.980 Because God is ultimately the one 00:24:08.980 --> 00:24:10.899 who reconciles people to himself. 00:24:11.319 --> 00:24:13.660 We get the privilege of sharing the gospel 00:24:13.660 --> 00:24:16.660 without any of the pressure 00:24:16.660 --> 00:24:18.379 of sharing the gospel. 00:24:18.460 --> 00:24:20.119 And we get this front row seat 00:24:20.119 --> 00:24:22.519 into seeing him work in people's lives. 00:24:22.519 --> 00:24:24.680 And again, 00:24:24.779 --> 00:24:26.839 if you've never had an opportunity 00:24:26.839 --> 00:24:30.019 to lead somebody to faith in Christ, 00:24:31.220 --> 00:24:32.420 I wanna encourage you, 00:24:32.519 --> 00:24:34.160 I would even challenge you 00:24:34.160 --> 00:24:35.720 to pray about this, 00:24:36.180 --> 00:24:38.539 to ask God to give you that opportunity 00:24:38.539 --> 00:24:40.279 and to see what he does, 00:24:40.339 --> 00:24:41.559 to see how he answers that prayer. 00:24:42.539 --> 00:24:44.900 Because it is one of the most life-changing, 00:24:45.079 --> 00:24:46.500 it is one of the most joy-filling, 00:24:46.639 --> 00:24:49.220 it is one of the most faith-stretching experiences 00:24:49.220 --> 00:24:50.859 that you can ever have 00:24:50.859 --> 00:24:54.359 to see someone come to faith in Christ. 00:24:54.439 --> 00:24:57.019 When you see that the power of God 00:24:57.019 --> 00:25:01.219 to redeem and to transform and reconcile, 00:25:01.379 --> 00:25:02.939 when you see that that power is real, 00:25:04.539 --> 00:25:06.759 it's an incredible, incredible experience. 00:25:08.279 --> 00:25:09.779 Towards the end of my college career, 00:25:10.259 --> 00:25:14.899 after years of conversation, 00:25:15.099 --> 00:25:16.859 what I perceived as failure, 00:25:16.859 --> 00:25:19.419 what, after years of prayer, 00:25:19.420 --> 00:25:20.840 and even discouragement 00:25:20.840 --> 00:25:23.680 that my friend Stephen would ever come to faith, 00:25:24.759 --> 00:25:27.920 he eventually started to get more involved 00:25:27.920 --> 00:25:29.640 in our campus ministry slowly. 00:25:30.720 --> 00:25:33.759 He started coming to some of our large group meetings 00:25:33.759 --> 00:25:36.320 where he heard the gospel more often. 00:25:36.680 --> 00:25:38.660 He started going to a small group Bible study. 00:25:40.340 --> 00:25:41.560 And by God's grace, 00:25:41.559 --> 00:25:45.579 one fall at a retreat center 00:25:45.579 --> 00:25:47.359 on the shore of the Chesapeake Bay, 00:25:47.940 --> 00:25:51.639 he accepted the lordship of Jesus Christ 00:25:51.639 --> 00:25:52.759 into his life. 00:25:52.859 --> 00:25:55.980 He trusted in the sweet exchange 00:25:55.980 --> 00:25:58.220 of God's reconciling work, 00:25:58.480 --> 00:26:00.379 all of his sin 00:26:00.379 --> 00:26:04.000 for all of the righteousness of Christ. 00:26:04.159 --> 00:26:06.700 And his conversion was one of the most real 00:26:06.700 --> 00:26:08.639 and genuine I have ever seen. 00:26:08.640 --> 00:26:09.640 And it was really clear 00:26:09.640 --> 00:26:12.300 that though I got to be a herald, 00:26:12.820 --> 00:26:14.400 that ultimately it was not about me. 00:26:14.460 --> 00:26:15.920 It was about God's power at work 00:26:15.920 --> 00:26:17.000 and Stephen's life. 00:26:17.759 --> 00:26:20.240 And it has been one of the great privileges of my life 00:26:20.240 --> 00:26:23.860 just to watch him grow over the years since then. 00:26:24.460 --> 00:26:25.720 It's been over a decade ago, 00:26:25.820 --> 00:26:26.580 but now he is, 00:26:27.080 --> 00:26:27.940 over a decade later, 00:26:28.060 --> 00:26:28.820 following Christ, 00:26:30.020 --> 00:26:31.140 living in Phoenix, 00:26:31.500 --> 00:26:32.460 attending a church there, 00:26:32.640 --> 00:26:33.820 married to a great Christian woman. 00:26:34.819 --> 00:26:36.480 But what I learned through my friendship with Stephen 00:26:36.480 --> 00:26:39.899 is what Paul teaches here in 2 Corinthians 5, 00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:42.119 and it encourages me still to this day, 00:26:42.200 --> 00:26:43.159 that sharing the gospel 00:26:43.159 --> 00:26:45.960 is not about my ability 00:26:45.960 --> 00:26:47.839 to be a great evangelist, 00:26:48.139 --> 00:26:51.419 but about God's power 00:26:51.419 --> 00:26:54.700 to save and to draw people to himself. 00:26:55.799 --> 00:26:57.460 And we get the incredible privilege 00:26:57.460 --> 00:26:58.559 of just being part of that 00:26:58.559 --> 00:27:01.839 as those who've been entrusted 00:27:01.839 --> 00:27:04.359 with the ministry of reconciliation. 00:27:06.480 --> 00:27:07.000 And friends, 00:27:07.119 --> 00:27:10.299 if what we have looked at together 00:27:10.299 --> 00:27:12.099 in God's word this morning is true, 00:27:13.240 --> 00:27:17.940 and if God is in fact reconciling people to himself, 00:27:18.019 --> 00:27:19.099 like he did with Stephen, 00:27:19.399 --> 00:27:21.960 and like he does with countless others, 00:27:22.579 --> 00:27:24.779 if the love of Christ compels us 00:27:24.779 --> 00:27:27.319 to reach out to others in love, 00:27:28.660 --> 00:27:30.740 if as we are reconciled to God, 00:27:30.799 --> 00:27:32.940 we are then made ministers of reconciliation, 00:27:33.579 --> 00:27:35.639 and if we get the privilege 00:27:35.639 --> 00:27:36.859 and the joy and the honor 00:27:36.859 --> 00:27:40.079 of heralding the best news in the world 00:27:40.079 --> 00:27:43.779 without any pressure of seeing any results, 00:27:45.859 --> 00:27:46.559 then friends, 00:27:46.619 --> 00:27:48.359 the question is quite actually simple. 00:27:50.359 --> 00:27:51.579 The question is not 00:27:51.579 --> 00:27:54.539 why would we share the gospel with others? 00:27:54.779 --> 00:27:58.420 But why would we not? 00:28:00.180 --> 00:28:01.099 Let's pray together. 00:28:04.599 --> 00:28:05.519 Our God and Father, 00:28:05.639 --> 00:28:07.220 we thank you and praise you 00:28:07.220 --> 00:28:11.480 that you are the great evangelist. 00:28:12.339 --> 00:28:14.339 You're the one who goes before us. 00:28:14.420 --> 00:28:17.119 You are the one who redeems and saves 00:28:17.119 --> 00:28:19.059 and transforms and reconciles. 00:28:20.799 --> 00:28:22.180 We thank you that 00:28:22.180 --> 00:28:24.440 all of your work of reconciliation 00:28:24.440 --> 00:28:27.160 has been completed in Christ on the cross, 00:28:27.200 --> 00:28:29.900 and we simply get to be heralds. 00:28:29.900 --> 00:28:30.840 God, thank you for the joy 00:28:30.840 --> 00:28:32.039 and the privilege of what it means 00:28:32.039 --> 00:28:34.080 to be a minister of reconciliation. 00:28:34.340 --> 00:28:35.779 Lord, I pray for all of us 00:28:35.779 --> 00:28:36.980 here in this room. 00:28:38.860 --> 00:28:40.559 And Lord, I pray for our church, 00:28:40.680 --> 00:28:42.000 and I pray that you would give us 00:28:42.000 --> 00:28:45.580 a spirit of evangelism. 00:28:45.720 --> 00:28:47.279 Lord, knowing that we are entrusted 00:28:47.279 --> 00:28:48.620 with this incredibly good news, 00:28:48.619 --> 00:28:52.119 would you give us lots of opportunities 00:28:52.119 --> 00:28:54.719 to declare the good news 00:28:54.719 --> 00:28:55.919 about Christ to the world. 00:28:56.719 --> 00:28:58.179 And Lord, I pray that as we do, 00:28:58.739 --> 00:29:00.219 whether or not we see results, 00:29:01.519 --> 00:29:04.339 that it would deepen our own experience 00:29:04.339 --> 00:29:05.500 of the gospel. 00:29:06.799 --> 00:29:08.039 We pray this in Christ's name. 00:29:08.719 --> 00:29:09.000 Amen. 00:29:09.000 --> 00:29:10.180 Amen. 00:29:16.220 --> 00:29:16.619 Amen. 00:29:16.619 --> 00:29:30.880 Amen.