Sunday Sermons

Ambassadors of Christ

Mark Dunagan
02/19/06 - Sunday Morning

Ambassadors of Christ

2 Corinthians 5:20 “We are ambassadors therefore on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us: we beseech you on behalf of Christ, be ye reconciled to God”

Wanted: High-energy person, positive outlook, forward thinker with ability to prioritize, needed to represent King as messenger and agent in matter of grave importance. Ability to give glory to, and not reproach, the King’s name by outstanding behavior, a must. Compensation incalculable, given at job completion. Unequaled benefit package. Equal opportunity employer(Beaverton Ladies Workshop, “Ambassadors for Christ”).

“We are ambassadors”: “An ambassador acts and speaks not only on behalf of but also in the place of the sovereign from whom he has received his commission. It is his duty to proclaim faithfully and precisely the message entrusted to him by his sovereign” (Hughes pp. 209-210). “He does not speak in his own name. He does not act on his own authority. What he communicates is not his own opinions or demands, but simply what he has been told or commanded to say” (Tasker p. 89).Such men as Paul did deliver direct messages from heaven (1 Corinthians 14:37; 1 Thessalonians 2:13). If the Apostles faithfully presented the exact message from the King of kings, how much more are uninspired men under such an obligation to preach from the revealed word (2 Timothy 2:15; 4:2; 1 Peter 4:11). Thus in a sense every Christian is to represent God and is an ambassador in some sense, because we are continuing to present God (Matthew 5:16; Philippians 2:15), and His will (1 Peter 4:11; 2 Timothy 4:2) to the world.

The Ambassador’s Job

· To represent the dignity, honor and righteousness of the Lord:

“That they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf” (2 Corinthians 5:15). What this means is that as Christians we do not represent ourselves, that is, our little kingdom, our will, or our opinions, and as an ambassador for Christ I do not have the luxury of becoming weird, eclectic, anti-social or a kook. I must understand that I present to the world a picture of God and His kingdom (1 Corinthians 11:1), and this picture can either be clear or distorted. “Here is the Christian proud privilege and almost terrifying responsibility. The honor of Christ and of the Church are in his hands. By his every word and action he can make men think more--or less--of the Church and of the Master whose he is and whom he must ever seek to serve” (Barclay p. 235).

· Sent to speak of God’s glory and not my own:

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). What really do we spend most of our time saying and doing? Are we involved in building up God’s reputation among men or our own personal glory? “On behalf of Christ”: “Here there is food for thought. How dare we alter, change, reduce the word committed to us? How dare we act as if we were dealing with men or let men think they are dealing only with us” (Lenski p. 1049). “Be ye reconciled to God”: “The aorist (tense) implies an immediate acceptance of the offer of reconciliation” (P.P. Comm. p. 123). “Get reconciled to God, and do it now” (Robertson p. 233).

· To make known the will of the King:

“Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God….so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 4:11). People need to realize that as a Christian I cannot “cut any deals” in the spiritual realm with them. I cannot offered a discounted salvation, such as, “all you need to do is believe and repent, but baptism is optional”. Neither can I give unbelievers any false hopes, such as God will give them or their loved ones a second chance after death, hell might not be eternal, grace will cover some habitual sin that is not renounced, or they must might end up in heaven even though they are not obedient. “As though God were entreating by us”: “God, as it were, appealing to you through us” (TCNT). “Seeing that God makes His appeal through me” (Gspd). What a wonderful thought. Paul was divinely inspired, hence God did appeal very directly through Paul, and when we take the words written by Paul and share them with others, in a sense we are allowing God to entreat through us as well.

· To faithfully represent His passion:

“We beg you on behalf of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:20). That is, we entreat with the same type of intensity that Jesus would entreat with were He physically upon the earth. We warn as He would warn, we urge as He would urge, and love as He would love, and we admonish as He would admonish. We do not only share His communication with the world, we equally share His concern for the lost, compassion for God’s people and hatred of evil, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1); “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children” (Ephesians 5:1).

· To be morally blameless:

“That you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15). I cannot represent Christ to the world while engaging in sin at the same time. How can I present the God in whom there is no darkness, while I am living in darkness?(1 John 1:5)

· To represent Christ not the denominational world:

I say this simply because Christ has completely different standards and teachings than are found in the denominational world.

Ambassador “Do’s”

· Apologize when I do not live up to the Christian name.

· Study.

· Pray frequently.

· Purposefully bring to mind the immense sacrifice offered for my sins (2 Corinthians 5:15).

· Love and enjoy others because Jesus did.

· Love and enjoy purity and sound doctrine. That is, love the “kingdom culture”.

· Bring the “kingdom culture” with me, including doctrines, values, ethics, language, faith and action.

· Make contacts with the world and engage is often.

· Persuasively press the spread of the gospel (2 Corinthians 5:11).

· Be vocal when God is attacked.

· Put the pressure on ambassadors from “other kingdoms”.

· I need to realize that I represent the “only Super Power” in the spiritual realm—God has all the nukes. Thus I am always speaking from a position of strength.

· Get help from God’s word and fellow Christians if I feel myself slipping, especially if my marriage or parental skills are not glorifying Him (1 Timothy 5:14).

· Serve both Christians and non-Christians (Galatians 6:10).

· Seize the day and get rid of known sin in my life now and not tomorrow (2 Corinthians 7:1).

· Do all tasks to the best of my ability, have pride in “kingdom work”.

· Know the why behind the “laws of the kingdom”.

“Don’ts”

· Conform to this world (Romans 12:1-2).

· Keep myself aloof from those who need God’s message, “spend all my time at the embassy”.

· Get caught up in “busy work” that has nothing to do with the real work of an ambassador.

· Give up.

· Be arrogant, because once we become arrogant we are no longer representing God’s kingdom, but our little kingdom.

· Allow the world to fog the standards God has set for me—and everyone else.

· Forget to glorify God.

· Be ashamed of His message (Romans 1:16).

· Keep doing something wrong because “it’s not that bad”.

The Ambassador and His Family

Easy ways for my children and I to glorify God:

· Be clearly thankful.

· Speak respectfully to those in authority and have a positive attitude toward all lawful authorities.

· Give up a seat to elders.

· Look for ways to help without being asked.

· Look for ways to encourage.

· Apologize readily.

· Smile often.

· Wait happily.

· Use eye contact attached to our smiles and words.

· Do not intentionally hurt others; this includes hurting family members or brethren with our words.

· Find fun in the tasks at hand.

· Laugh often.

· Look for good in the people around us.

· Worship God together.

· Enjoy the beauty of God’s creation.

· Be a good steward of all we have.

· Speak to others about the blessings in our lives.

· Show hospitality to others than our closest friends.

· Be honest always.

Mark Dunagan/Beaverton Church of Christ/503-644-9017