Good morning everyone. >> Happy Sunday. >> Happy Sunday. >> I want to acknowledge there's a lot going on in this service today. And uh I was thinking to myself, we could have two different perspectives, right? One could be like, "Holy crap, that's a lot of stuff going on. There's baseball. It's raining. It's summer. What's happening? Or it could be like, "Wow, God, you're at work in so many different ways around us." And there's so many different paths for us to have opportunities to connect with God. Um, and I'm sure there are three, four, five other different ways you can look at it. But, um, I hope that you have a sense that God is at work and that we can rejoice in what is happening around us.

Well, on Friday, some of us were at the sections track and field event in St. Peter, right? Some of us were getting quite the sunburn. Uh, some of the athletes were trying to stay hydrated and are probably still hydrating to be honest. And they were giving it all. They were motivated. Some of them they were pring, not making it to state, but rejoicing that they had the best chance that they the best run that they had. For others, it was the last run of their high school career and they were finished. And so they were motivated just to be done with the sport but not the people is what I heard. Um, others were motivated to break a record or just simply to make the state cut.

Do you consider what motivates you? Very often sometimes I hear people say like why do I even get out of bed in the morning or my kids give me a reason or my animal gives me a reason to get out of bed because they need a walk. Why do you clean your house? Uh we were recently just motivated at our house to finish a project because we had a grad party. Grad parties great motivation to do the things. Yes.

Well, we are in a series on second Corinthians. The video gives us some introduction that 2 Corinthians is about pressure. Uh Paul the writer is writing a lot about suffering and the pressure he's under. But not just because of his suffering. But because he is suffering, people have less respect for him and think like, wow, I don't want to follow a leader who's like hurting. We used to call it a hurting unit. Like I don't want to follow somebody who's struggling in that way.

Last week, Brian talked about how suffering, our view on suffering can change in light of the resurrection. Uh, one of the songs that we just sang, I feel like, um, speaks to this idea that because Jesus rose from the dead, we can have hope.

Well, today we're going to be in second Corinthians number five. We have a little joke going, everyone. I am odd and Brian is even. So, I get the odd chapters. So, we're going to be in chapter five today and Brian gets the even chapters.

So, in chapter 5, starting at verse 11, Paul writes, "Since then, we know what it is to fear the Lord. We try to persuade others." What we are, Paul and his missionary friends, his ministry friends, what we are is plain to God, and I hope is also plain to your conscience. We're not trying to commend ourselves to you again like prove ourselves to you, but we're giving you, meaning the church in Corinth, an opportunity to take pride in us so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen elsewhere rather than what is in the heart. For if we are out of our mind, and that literally kind of means like if people think we're crazy, it's for God. But if we're in our right mind, it's for you. For Christ's love compels us because we are convinced that one, meaning Jesus, died for all. And therefore, all all humanity died. And Jesus died for all that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and raised again.

John, that was just the perfect song that we just sang. yet not I but Christ. Right?

Paul starts with this since then. And as you I hope crack open your Bibles sometimes and you start in a passage and you see a therefore or a since then, you want to say what's happening? Why is he talking about this? Paul has just talked about eternity and how one day we're going to leave this world of suffering and brokenness and we all will face judgment. And for Paul, he says this brings a fear and the word in Greek is phobia. A word we've all heard of before. It is a fear.

All of us in Christ humanity, when we die, there will be judgment. I know this is going to be popular. I know inside you're going, "Oh, good. I'm so glad she's going to talk about this." But it's in the text, so I'm going to talk about it. Okay, we will be judged. Paul says, "And this brings upon him a fear of the Lord." believers understanding who God is, the greatness of God, the authority of God, the fact that God is holy and the understanding that when we die and even while we are alive there is judgment. Paul says since then we know what it is to fear the Lord have a deep respect of the Lord. Paul says we persuade others.

Now, any good English major cannot miss an opportunity to mention a Jane Austin book called Persuasion. Okay, if you've never read it, it's one of the more like random Jane Austin books, but the story is about a young woman who met a wonderful man, but because a mentor had sort of a not great opinion about this man, she persuaded this young woman to ditch him. And then of course years later the mentor feels bad, changes her mind and says, "Oh, maybe he would be okay." And it's really sad because this young woman was so persuaded by this mentor that she did not follow her heart and her love, but she followed this woman. Persuasion is to induce someone else with words to go one way or another.

That's what Paul wants to do. He wants to persuade others. I'm not lying to you when I say when I'm up here, when I am creating my sermon with words, I am thinking about how to persuade you. Uh people who do not follow Jesus and find out I'm a pastor and we start talking about Jesus. At some point, I will say to them, I ain't going to lie to you, I want you to believe in Jesus, but if you don't, we're still going to be friends. I'm just like that. If you know me personally, or if you're online, you've never met me, this is sort of just how I am.

Paul says, "We fear the Lord. Therefore, I want to persuade you." What does he want to persuade them about? Well, Paul is defending his position. And there's this storyline that goes all throughout this letter, you all. Paul is really, really concerned that his people that he's told the gospel to are no longer respecting him. And not only no longer respecting him, they're not respecting the gospel message that he shared with them. that their savior indeed suffered and died. And sometimes that's not popular.

Paul says that Christ's love compels us. I love that phrase. Some versions instead of compel use the word con control or constrain. Like you put water into a pitcher and it's constrained. It's contained. Christ's love compels us. It controls us. The message version says it like this. Christ's love has moved me to such extremes. Christ's love has the first and last word in everything we do.

So, as I read this, I think about Paul's motivation for doing and saying what he does. It is a fear of the Lord and Christ's love. Those are not in opposition to each other. They are not waring against each other. They are working alongside persuading Paul and his missionary friends.

Paul also mentions here that Christ died for all. So, lest I avoid another controversial subject, Paul believes, and I do too, that Jesus really is the only way. This isn't like, well, you believe this and I believe this. It's all God in the end anyway. Actually, no. Jesus is God. And if Jesus really died, which historically everybody agrees that a man named Jesus died or most people, okay, historically this man died. If Jesus did not die for people's sins, then whatever we're believing in is nonsense. But we believe Jesus died for a purpose. Jesus was motivated because he knew that sin covered humanity and we're all walking around dead people. Okay, we're all the mummies. Unless Jesus's blood, which is life, it's kind of hard for us in our culture to understand the blood stuff. Okay? But think instead life. That blood was shed. The life of Jesus was given so that the death that I'm living is no longer constraining me. But the life of God through Christ has been given to me. And as I repent, Jesus offers that to me. If you know Jesus, you can be sure that that love lives in you and that you have life and everyone around you can have that as well.

So in verse 16, Paul says, "So from now on, we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ this way, we do know we do so no longer." Paul himself actually uh did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah for a while. Paul went to the extremes believing he was right and actually killed Christians. So he viewed Jesus from a worldly point of view. That's not the Messiah. He was a liar. In fact, he was dangerous. And I'm glad he died. And Christians are so dangerous. I'm going to kill them to try to squaltch this message. They viewed Christ previously from a worldly point of view. But Paul says, "We no longer do this."

Therefore, verse 17, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone. The new is here. All this is from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and now has given us the ministry of reconciliation. What's this ministry? That God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. God has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors as though God were making his appeal through us as if we are just a megaphone that God is holding and God's voice is speaking through us. And then Paul says this, we implore you on Christ's behalf. Be reconciled to God. God made Jesus who had no sin to be sin for us so that in Jesus we might become the righteousness of God.

Oh man, I love this passage. so much. I was texting somebody recently and I was like, I love my job. I get to just like sit and think about like how do I rework this or how do I put it into a context? So, no matter where you're at on the Jesus journey, this might actually help you connect with Jesus today. And oh Lord, if there is someone here today who really hasn't felt like they get it, that this would be the day you get it.

Paul says, we don't look at anyone now from a worldly point of view. So what does this look like? Okay, what is seen rather than what it is in the heart? Consider the Olympian Simone Biles. Okay, you got her in your mind. She's very short, very successful, seventime gold medalist in the Olympics. Okay, wonderful woman. I am sure she's a blessing wherever she goes, but I don't know her personally.

Now imagine Paul Schmer. Anybody know Paul Schmer other than Brian? Paul Schmer went to St. Scholastica. He was a cross-country skier. We knew him as a student and we have followed him throughout the years. Do you know he's actually been to two Olympics, never meddled, however. But if you look him up, he says, "First and last, I'm a Christian. I am created in the likeness of God Almighty to bring him glory." Is what he says on his social. I love that about him.

Now, no shade on Simone, okay? But if the world were to look at Simone Biles and Paul Schmer, who gets the like, whoopee, who's got more followers on social? Probably Simone, right? Paul points to the fact that when one is Jesus, when one is in Jesus, it's different.

What happens when someone is in Christ? 2 Corinthians chapter 5, I'm using the first nations version. I love this so much. Paul says, I'm saying that anyone who has been joined together with the chosen one, meaning Jesus, is now part of the new creation. Have you ever heard this verse and saying like, "Oh, John, when you come to faith, you are a new creation." That is true, but it is so minimized and so individualistic that I think it just misses the glory and the grandeur of what happens when you say yes to Jesus. You are now part of the new creation. For in the chosen one, the old creation has faded away and the new creation has come into being. It is the great spirit himself who has done all of this. Through the chosen one, creator, meaning God, has removed the hostility between human beings and himself, bringing all of creation into harmony.

Once again, the great spirit has chosen us now to represent him in the sacred task of helping others find and walk this path of peacemaking and healing, turning enemies into friends. We are now part of this new creation, part of a new kingdom. Does this ring a bell? The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news. Does that ring a bell? That new kingdom is the new creation. That when Jesus came in the flesh, he ushered it in. Just like when a new president comes and there's a new administration and things change, that is what happened when Jesus came. It started. And Jesus doesn't just have a four-year term. Allelujah. Right? And we're waiting for kind of the end of Jesus's term, which is actually the beginning of his eternal term. Okay? So there's this yes, we are in the new creation. We are part of the new kingdom and we're waiting for when Jesus comes and makes it complete.

One of my commentaries says, "An entirely new order in which cosmic brokenness is now being reversed by the cosmic reconciliation willed and set into motion by God to himself through Jesus."

Now another very key point which is one of the reasons why I love my denomination. The good news friends is that God has never changed. Even when sin entered the picture, God's character did not change. God did not become wrathful and angry. And Jesus did not appease God. God didn't need to be changed for us to be reconciled with God. What was the problem? I need to be reconciled to God. God's reconciled to me. God loves that. Love is eternal. God's love was never stopped toward us. Our loving creator in Christ, God reached out to us, makes a way for us to be righteous again, removing that death that sin brings.

God's love never changed before or after the cross. This is key. God did not need to be reconciled to me. God did not need to be appeased. So that no, I needed to change and Jesus made a way for that. And not only does Jesus say, "We're reconciled." Jesus now says, "Sandy, I want you to join me in being an ambassador."

Now, are you ready for this? Are you all sitting down? Did you all know that there's a National Museum of American Diplomacy? I got to say that again, don't I? There's a National Museum of American Diplomacy. God bless America. This sounds like a fun museum, doesn't it? The National Museum of American Diplomacy.

I had to look it up. What does it mean to be an ambassador? Literally, it means that you represent the top dog, your president, your queen, whatever. Okay. In lie of the presence of that person, you represent that leader. Okay. I get to now that I'm a follower of Jesus, I get to say yes to being Christ's ambassador.

How would you feel today with that invitation? A letter from the king, the letter from the from the presidential administration. We would like you to be the ambassador to Congo. Would you feel like, "Oh boy, I don't know if I can handle that. I don't know if I'm good enough. Geez, I wonder if they know about that ticket I got a few months ago."

Jesus says you are qualified.

Do you need motivation today to accept this offer? Well, Paul says the fear of the Lord and Christ's love compels him.

Friends, if you know Jesus, how are you feeling about the fear of the Lord? Do you have that sense of respect and reverence for our God? Do you also know that Christ's love surpasses all of whatever it is you might feel is hanging on you or even whatever you're facing out there? Do you also believe that Jesus died for everyone, even that fill-in-the-blank person? Or do you have a tendency to look at people from a worldly point of view and saying they'd never be interested?

Now, I'm thinking about all of you sitting out there who think like, "Oh, Sandy, but you this is your job. Like, yeah, you get to go to the pool and invite people to church. That's great. I have to." You're right. I have a great job. We go to the pool and we invite people to church. We do other things, too. But if we're really tan, let's hope lots of invitations are coming for church.

What does it look like for you in your context, when you're at work, when you're watering your grass, when you're at the grocery store? I am gifted differently than you, but praise God, you are gifted and you've been placed in a different place.

Maybe you need to study about it. I'm going to do a four-week study on bless. Maybe you need to be anointed and commissioned today as an ambassador. I'll be over here after.

Lastly, maybe that's like, I don't know, not fitnet for you. I am going to invite you to do something nobody will ever know you do you do except a small group of people which is the chosen. As you fear the Lord know that Jesus died for everyone including our friends in Congo. Maybe you are going to invest in the life of a child.