Sermon Tone Analysis

2 CORINTHIANS 5:17-20 (NIV)

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them.

And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.

We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.

FCF:

Do you feel like a new Creation?

Why not?

WHO CARES?

You are a new creation – and that has consequences

INTRODUCTION

How many here were oldest child growing up?

Then likely you heard this phrase: “You are the oldest, so you should know better.

Be the example!”

I’ll admit that got tiresome at times.

Maybe you even said, “I don’t wanna be the oldest!”

But there you were – and that role carried with it certain responsibilities…

This morning we read “You are a new creation because God reconciled us, therefore be ambassadors and reconcile others to God.”

Paul writes that you are a New Creation because of God’s reconciliation, and therefore you should be God’s ambassador to a world that is not yet reconciled to God.

A NEW CREATION

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

In the passage we just read, God’s Word tells us we are a New Creation!

In today’s marketing-saturated world, “New” usually means “We changed the colors on the packaging!”

or “We put less stuff in the bag!” We’ve been conditioned to be suspicious about stuff with “new” on the label.

But we all know about things that really are new – and how wonderful they are:

•A newborn baby

•A new house

•A new car

Each is appealing because it’s unstained – no scratches, no defects – all promise and possibility!

But maybe your sense of newness is worn off?

Maybe you feel instead there are a couple of hundred thousand miles on the once “new” car?

Maybe it’s burning oil, the transmission is shot, and probably will overheat this summer?

How can we be “new” when we certainly don’t feel new?

First, let’s define “new”:

•New means existing only for a short time;

•it can also mean something that’s occurred lately, or maybe it’s a new possession;

•new may simply be different…

We’ll keep that in mind as we look into what Paul means when he says we are a New Creation and the implication of that newness to our lives (this list is not exhaustive!):

Freed from the curse of the law: the new is distinct from the old, which was under the curse of sin, was subject to God’s righteous judgment, was separated from God, and lived for self.

The Veil is removed: the old way of serving God through sacrifices and ritual and form – which in Colossians we learn “…are a shadow of things to come” were set aside when Jesus’ work was finished: Matthew 27:51 “And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.”

A New heart: we are new in that we have something new implanted in the soul which never was there before;

•It’s not merely an improvement, but the replacement of old with new – As John Gill wrote in 1740: “…here is a new heart, and a new spirit, and in them new light and life, new affections and desires, new delights and joys; here are new eyes to see with, new ears to hear with...”

•Ezekiel 36:26 (New International Version)

•Ezekiel 36:26 “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

We have a new family: a new family replaces old relationships – not that we abandon our natural family, but we learn we have a bond with fellow believers that goes beyond mere relation.

•Matthew 12:50 “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

We’re freed from bondage: we can relinquish dependence on external things such as riches, honor, power, position, and status fades as we learn to trust Christ for all in all.

We have hope after this life: we have hope in a new Jerusalem, the new heavens, and a new earth, and the restoring of all things – as we read in Romans 8:21 “… the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”

•Philippians 3: 20 “…our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”

So we are new -- in many ways -- and this has tremendous implications to us and our purpose here on earth.

In the next two verses we read:

18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them.

And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

There’s a lot there, and there is not time to go into all the theological implications of these verses, but I want to focus on our responsibility to the ministry of reconciliation.

RECONCILIATION

“Reconciliation” has two meanings – one is about relationships, the other is about alignment:

•the re-establishment of cordial relations or

•getting two things to correspond – such as getting the checkbook to reconcile to the bank statement

We’ve all experienced relationship reconciliation– when two who were once separated return to fellowship.

Maybe you were forced to make up after a fight?

Or maybe you or the other person took the first step and said “I’m sorry…”

In Richard III, Shakespeare perfectly captures the struggle of one who yearns to be reconciled:

’Tis death to me to be at enmity;

I hate it, and desire all good men’s love.

Isn’t this the case?

We don’t like being at odds, constantly angry and upset.

In fact, we fool ourselves when we “stick to our guns” and place our pride before relationship.

And we are relieved when we are reconciled, and things are made right, and we re-establish “cordial relations.”

The finished work of Christ provides a way for us to re-establish cordial relationship with God.

Romans 5:8 “…but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

9 … For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

Adam and Eve lived in paradise – no thorns, no thistles, no mosquitoes, no death – and God would come walk in the Garden and talk with them as we talk to each other.

But Adam sinned, and the fall broke that relationship, and the curse that came with disobedience affected everything – our relationship with God, our relationships with each other, our relationship with creation – everything.

Verse 18 says we are now reconciled to God – and that reconciliation – though not yet complete – begins the restoration process.

Reconciling also means we get re-aligned – no longer are you focused on the world’s values of power and status – you align yourself with what really matters.

“Paradise” is more than warm breezes and no bugs – it will be a place where relationships are in perfect harmony, where the lion lays down with the lamb, where even the trees sing!

(It’s what we were made for – don’t buy the line “death is a natural part of life “ –it’s not.

Death is the final enemy we will all face, but those in Christ will rise again and be with Him in paradise forever!)

Psalm 96:

11 Let the heavens be glad, and let s the earth rejoice;

let the sea roar, and all that fills it;

12 let the field exult, and everything in it!

Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy

13 before the Lord...

Thus our message – our lives – must evidence that every person can be reconciled to God – and that there is a final restoration coming, and that the work can begin today.

We are a New Creation, who are now ministers of reconciliation.

AMBASSADORS

20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.

We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.

An ambassador represents his sovereign (whether the sovereign is a king or a nation).

•Ambassador’s message is accepted if:

oAmbassador is consistently loyal and has always represented the King’s interests in the past

oMessage rings true – you can imagine the King saying the words the ambassador is saying

•We are Christ’s ambassadors – representing the King

oWhen an ambassador stands before a foreign court, he or she is representing the King and the nation.

What the ambassador says, the King says.

oAn ambassador is independent, but always responsible for everything he says and does – and so is always on duty.

Illustration: In 1980, when I was a young airman in the Air Force, I was stationed in Denver, CO.