2 Corinthians 5:14-21 – 14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sina for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (2 Co 5:14-21). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.)
What is your attitude today? Are you cheery or did you wish you had just one more hour of sleep? Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed? No matter how your day is going, what is your attitude? The famous American writer and clergyman Charles Swondoll once said:
“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you… we are in charge of our Attitudes.” (Charles Swindoll)
How you respond to situations in life make all the difference. When it comes to the Christian faith, when I get knocked down, how do I get back up again? What is my attitude when sin and temptation knock me off the cliff? Do I cling to the cross of Christ my Savior and rely upon his grace, or do I rely upon myself and continue to fall deeper into the abyss of sin and despair? Christ has forgiven you all your sins and he gives you peace, joy, and comfort that make all the difference in the world how you fight the good fight. Your faith convinces you that your sins are completely taken away by the blood of the lamb.
Paul said, we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. That is the heart and core of our ministry, and countless Christian ministries around the world. Christ died, Christ rose again, and now our life changes as we no longer live for ourselves, but instead we live for him. How do we live for him?
The scriptures tell us that we are managers of all that God has given us. There is nothing on this earth that we call our own, as Job says, naked I came from my mother’s womb and naked I will depart. All the material blessings in this life really don’t amount to a whole lot, because we can’t take them with us when we go. What is your attitude to all the blessings that God has given you, and do you see them as blessings? What compels you to give of your time, your talents, and your treasures?
The speed limit says 55 mph, and people on average go 60 to 65. Copyright laws say you have to get written approval to make copies of certain items, and yet people make copies all the time without getting approval. Music is downloaded, copied, and sold illegally even though every album has a disclaimer on them warning that there are serious ramifications if you do. What do people say; laws are meant to be broken? The law is not meant to compel us, but instead the law serves as a mirror for us, it curbs us in, and it guides us to show us God’s will, but most importantly it is there to show us our sin. As we look into the mirror of God’s perfect law we see how far we have fallen.
And that’s why the gospel reminds us that it is the gift of God through faith in Jesus Christ that saves us. Christ’s love compels us! When we hear those words we think about drive or motivation, and the Greek literally means holds us fast or controls us. It doesn’t have the same appeal as compels, but to control and hold us fast in the faith is literally what it does. A ship without a captain will run into a reef or crash into dry land. A plane without a pilot will certainly come crashing to the ground.
There is a Lutheran hymn entitled “Jesus Savior Pilot Me”. That’s what we ask of Christ to continually be our captain. He steers us in the right direction, and he puts us back on course when we run the risk of running aground by our own sin. In fact, he not only pulls us back, but as he grabs the helm, he propels us forward as his Holy Spirit reminds us of his love, compassion, mercy, and grace. There are many who live in this world who thinks they are steering their own lives, but sadly they are going in the wrong direction. When it comes to family and friends it really hurts to see them heading down the path that leads to destruction.
Their relationship with God is broken, and needs to be healed. Because of our sin there is a torn relationship between us and God. By nature we are objects of wrath to God, and we are his enemies. The only solution was for Christ to step in and fix the problem. Christ, as Paul said, reconciled us to God. In other words, he patched up that broken relationship. We are at peace with God through Jesus. And now God works through us as Christ’s ambassadors.
That term ambassador has been a tough subject as of late. We lost one of our ambassadors to Libya a few weeks ago. Our ambassadors represent us. They go to foreign countries to work on diplomacy between our country and theirs. They are like peacemakers trying to make allies and friends of other nations.
Ambassador Stephens, who lost his life not only represented this country, but he represented all of us as fellow Americans. We are also ambassadors heading into hostile territory to make friends for Jesus, because we represent our Savior. He is the greatest friend and ally anyone could have. And we go out into this world which is at odds with Christianity. We call on people or pray earnestly that they too would be reconciled to God.
How do we do that? We do that through the blessings God has given us. The greatest blessing is that of faith. We believe that God made Christ who had no sin to be sin for us. Where, but on that cross! And now you and I have become the righteousness of God, as our sins were crucified with him, and he has made us his own. How do we use our time, talents, and treasures as Christ’s ambassadors to give glory to God?
What does your schedule look like? Do you use your time wisely? How much do we use our valuable time on silly things and how much is wasted? Can you squeeze in some time to share a prayer or devotion with your Savior? How are you using the time God has given you? Remember it’s not your time or my time, but it’s God’s time, and are we giving him glory in how we use of it? This time that we have from cradle to the grave is our Time of Grace. It’s a time where God shows us his unconditional love. Do you have time to use in God’s ministry?
How about your talents? If you have the gift of music, are you using it to edify others? If you have the gift of being sympathetic, are you using it to build each other up? How can you use your talents within the church? Could you sing in the choir? Could you usher at least one Sunday a month? Could you serve on a board or committee? Could you help serve on the ladies aid? What talents do you have that you could share with God’s ministry here on earth, as a member of his church?
What about your treasures? How do your monetary gifts serve to give glory to God? Are you self-controlled and clear minded with your gifts? Do you take time to say thanks for the many gifts you have been given, and plan out how you give back to the Lord? How you view all these things and what your perspective is changes when you recognize that it was Christ who gave you everything you have ever had. The old creation is gone, Paul says, and the new has come by means of the Holy Spirit through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord. The Holy Spirit drives us and compels us through the love of Christ.
We were lost, and now through Christ we have been found. We were dead in sin, but now, through Holy Baptism, we were made alive in Christ. We were enemies of God, and now we are his adopted children and rightful heirs of eternal life. We were ashamed by our sin and could not come near God, and now we have peace and are confident to approach our Heavenly Father’s throne. We are ambassadors of Christ through our stewardship. We are ambassadors of Christ through our management of the many blessings that he has given us. What a privilege and joy it is to share Christ in so many different ways. You have an opportunity to be a part of something extremely special; you have an opportunity to share the love of Christ. Feel compelled? Look to Christ and you will be!
I am not ashamed of the Gospel! 