Embracing Our Identity as Christ's Ambassadors
Devotional
Sermon Summary
Sermon Clips
"And so, I'm going to tell you a story that I'm going to tell you about. He was given the list of things that he was supposed to do, the messages that he was supposed to carry on behalf of his leader. He was sent to his new homeland, and he was told to speak well and speak what I communicate, and then also make relationships, build relationships. So, Sebastian settles in, and things are going really well. He is in constant communication with his homeland. He's saying everything he's supposed to say. He's building relationships with the purpose. Things are going really well. But over time, what tends to happen, or what happened for Sebastian was that he really loved the culture in this foreign land. And so, he started mingling and interspersing himself more heavily with the locals and started living like a local, so to speak. And as he was living like a local, he lost communication, communication with his homeland. And before he knew it, he was no longer standing out as an ambassador. He was blending in with this place that he was called to speak into." [00:00:55] (70 seconds)
"And it's very possible, like Sebastian, to lose sight of that calling from time to time. But what we'll see today, and what God's Word reminds us of, is that ultimately, our identity in Christ shapes our purpose and mission in the world. That because of who we are, our identity in Christ, we know therefore what our purpose is and the mission that we have been called to. And yet, like Sebastian, we live in a world in which we are told that our identity is something we create. We create it through, through achievements, relationships, or even self-expression." [00:02:42] (44 seconds)
"Paul says it this way, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come, the old has gone, the new is here. Right? If you are in Christ, you are a new creation. Paul is not talking about self-improvement. He's not talking about behavior modification or some kind of spiritual makeover. What Paul is talking about is something completely new. The language he uses is new in quality, something completely different, something that is never seen before." [00:03:34] (41 seconds)
"It's not that our old self, our old identity, the one that is marked by sin and guilt and shame is fading away or lingering in the background. It is gone. It has been taken by Jesus to the cross and put to death. And in its place, he gives us new life, a life that is one marked by freedom and forgiveness, not condemnation and judgment. It's a life that rests in what God has done for us, not in what we must do, to be made right with God. And so for us, our identity is not something that we build or create. It's not defined or determined by our feelings or our decisions." [00:04:15] (47 seconds)
"He reached for us in Christ because ultimately he chose us, because he loves us. He takes us, people who were once enemies, who were once far from God, people who have failed time and time again, and he takes us, people who have failed time and time again, people who struggle every single day, and he calls us to be his messengers. Not because we're worthy, not because we're fully capable on our own, but because he chose us. And that's what Jesus says in John chapter 15. He says, you did not choose me, but I chose you, and I appointed you that you should go and bear fruit. He says, I chose you, but I chose you, and I appointed you out of the world. It's not random, it's not accidental, it's intentional that Jesus calls us into this, that ever, even before we even thought about God, before we realized that we need God, before we even considered following him, he already had his love set on each one of us because of his love for us. He appointed us, and he gave us, and he gave us, and he gave us, and he gave us, and he gave us, and he gave us, and he gives us a purpose. He sets us apart for a purpose, right? He didn't just save us from something, he saved us for something, and that is to reflect the one who called you, to live a life worthy of the one who has called you. And so the question for us today is, is that how you see yourself?" [00:07:23] (104 seconds)
"Or do I see myself as one who has been chosen by the king of the universe, who has set me apart, and who has made me a part of the world? Who has made me different, who has called me into this life of being an ambassador for him, right? It's this identity, it's this responsibility that comes with being reconciled to Christ and given this new life, to be Christ's ambassador, to be the official representative of Jesus in this world. The word that Paul uses is, which is ultimately used to describe envoys that are sent by a king to share his message with full authority, or to deliver the message with full authority. It's the highest ranking diplomat sent from one country to another to promote and protect the interests of their home country. For us as God's children, for us as God's people, we are his ambassadors, and we have been sent, by God, from heaven to earth to show his love on earth as it is in heaven. We have been placed by God in this exact moment in time, been given a special set of skills and spiritual gifts to represent him in the moments and the places that he has intentionally put us." [00:09:33] (93 seconds)
"It's okay to be different. And then we view every interaction, as a kingdom opportunity, every conversation, every passing with the stranger, every opportunity or inclination on our heart that says, go help that person or pick up the phone and encourage that person is an opportunity for us to reflect God's love to the world around us, right? Because ultimately our representing Christ happens in the small everyday moments, not just in the big life moments, right? God is making his appeal through us. That means that every single day in every interaction, God wants to use us to point people to him. It's an opportunity for us to show Christ's goodness, to show his faithfulness and his love to a world that is longing for answers, that is longing for hope and peace." [00:19:23] (64 seconds)
"And this is heavy work. This is not easy. And for us to fully live out this calling that we have to be ambassadors, it requires a few things of us. It requires us to stay connected to our King, right? If we want to represent Christ, we have to be connected to Christ, right? Jesus says in John chapter 15, I am the vine and you are the branches. And whoever abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit." [00:16:54] (30 seconds)
"For apart from me, you can do nothing, right? See, sometimes we fall into this trap of thinking, it's all up to me and my own wisdom. We lean on our own ways. And yet, what we realize is that we get further away from God, that we get further down the path away from where he is ultimately trying to lead us. And so, it's through his word, through prayer, through worship, and gathering together as the saints, that we are able to remain connected to him so that we can represent him well, in a way that makes much of him and less of us." [00:17:24] (34 seconds)
"And then we also, because of our relationship, because of being connected to our King, the one who gives us life and shapes us into his image, we carry ourself differently. We don't look like the rest of the world because ultimately, as Christ's ambassadors, our lives point people to Jesus." [00:17:58] (23 seconds)
"Our actions have the opportunity to reflect Christ's love and goodness and grace. And when we live in this way, when we see ourselves that we are different, that we are called to represent Christ, to show his love on earth, to show his love on earth, to show his love on earth, to show his love on earth, as it is in heaven, people get to see Jesus." [00:18:42] (23 seconds)
"And that's where we run to the grace of the Father. And we say, God, please forgive me and help me to stay connected to you. Help me to live a life that reflects you. Help me to share your love boldly. And to live in this mission that you have called me to, to show your love on earth as it is in heaven." [00:21:14] (26 seconds)
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"And it's very possible, like Sebastian, to lose sight of that calling from time to time. But what we'll see today, and what God's Word reminds us of, is that ultimately, our identity in Christ shapes our purpose and mission in the world. That because of who we are, our identity in Christ, we know therefore what our purpose is and the mission that we have been called to. And yet, like Sebastian, we live in a world in which we are told that our identity is something we create. We create it through, through achievements, relationships, or even self-expression." [00:02:42] (44 seconds)
"Paul says it this way, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come, the old has gone, the new is here. Right? If you are in Christ, you are a new creation. Paul is not talking about self-improvement. He's not talking about behavior modification or some kind of spiritual makeover. What Paul is talking about is something completely new. The language he uses is new in quality, something completely different, something that is never seen before." [00:03:34] (41 seconds)
"It's not that our old self, our old identity, the one that is marked by sin and guilt and shame is fading away or lingering in the background. It is gone. It has been taken by Jesus to the cross and put to death. And in its place, he gives us new life, a life that is one marked by freedom and forgiveness, not condemnation and judgment. It's a life that rests in what God has done for us, not in what we must do, to be made right with God. And so for us, our identity is not something that we build or create. It's not defined or determined by our feelings or our decisions." [00:04:15] (47 seconds)
"He reached for us in Christ because ultimately he chose us, because he loves us. He takes us, people who were once enemies, who were once far from God, people who have failed time and time again, and he takes us, people who have failed time and time again, people who struggle every single day, and he calls us to be his messengers. Not because we're worthy, not because we're fully capable on our own, but because he chose us. And that's what Jesus says in John chapter 15. He says, you did not choose me, but I chose you, and I appointed you that you should go and bear fruit. He says, I chose you, but I chose you, and I appointed you out of the world. It's not random, it's not accidental, it's intentional that Jesus calls us into this, that ever, even before we even thought about God, before we realized that we need God, before we even considered following him, he already had his love set on each one of us because of his love for us. He appointed us, and he gave us, and he gave us, and he gave us, and he gave us, and he gave us, and he gave us, and he gives us a purpose. He sets us apart for a purpose, right? He didn't just save us from something, he saved us for something, and that is to reflect the one who called you, to live a life worthy of the one who has called you. And so the question for us today is, is that how you see yourself?" [00:07:23] (104 seconds)
"Or do I see myself as one who has been chosen by the king of the universe, who has set me apart, and who has made me a part of the world? Who has made me different, who has called me into this life of being an ambassador for him, right? It's this identity, it's this responsibility that comes with being reconciled to Christ and given this new life, to be Christ's ambassador, to be the official representative of Jesus in this world. The word that Paul uses is, which is ultimately used to describe envoys that are sent by a king to share his message with full authority, or to deliver the message with full authority. It's the highest ranking diplomat sent from one country to another to promote and protect the interests of their home country. For us as God's children, for us as God's people, we are his ambassadors, and we have been sent, by God, from heaven to earth to show his love on earth as it is in heaven. We have been placed by God in this exact moment in time, been given a special set of skills and spiritual gifts to represent him in the moments and the places that he has intentionally put us." [00:09:33] (93 seconds)
"It's okay to be different. And then we view every interaction, as a kingdom opportunity, every conversation, every passing with the stranger, every opportunity or inclination on our heart that says, go help that person or pick up the phone and encourage that person is an opportunity for us to reflect God's love to the world around us, right? Because ultimately our representing Christ happens in the small everyday moments, not just in the big life moments, right? God is making his appeal through us. That means that every single day in every interaction, God wants to use us to point people to him. It's an opportunity for us to show Christ's goodness, to show his faithfulness and his love to a world that is longing for answers, that is longing for hope and peace." [00:19:23] (64 seconds)
"And this is heavy work. This is not easy. And for us to fully live out this calling that we have to be ambassadors, it requires a few things of us. It requires us to stay connected to our King, right? If we want to represent Christ, we have to be connected to Christ, right? Jesus says in John chapter 15, I am the vine and you are the branches. And whoever abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit." [00:16:54] (30 seconds)
"For apart from me, you can do nothing, right? See, sometimes we fall into this trap of thinking, it's all up to me and my own wisdom. We lean on our own ways. And yet, what we realize is that we get further away from God, that we get further down the path away from where he is ultimately trying to lead us. And so, it's through his word, through prayer, through worship, and gathering together as the saints, that we are able to remain connected to him so that we can represent him well, in a way that makes much of him and less of us." [00:17:24] (34 seconds)
"And then we also, because of our relationship, because of being connected to our King, the one who gives us life and shapes us into his image, we carry ourself differently. We don't look like the rest of the world because ultimately, as Christ's ambassadors, our lives point people to Jesus." [00:17:58] (23 seconds)
"Our actions have the opportunity to reflect Christ's love and goodness and grace. And when we live in this way, when we see ourselves that we are different, that we are called to represent Christ, to show his love on earth, to show his love on earth, to show his love on earth, to show his love on earth, as it is in heaven, people get to see Jesus." [00:18:42] (23 seconds)
"And that's where we run to the grace of the Father. And we say, God, please forgive me and help me to stay connected to you. Help me to live a life that reflects you. Help me to share your love boldly. And to live in this mission that you have called me to, to show your love on earth as it is in heaven." [00:21:14] (26 seconds)
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