What Is a Christian 19 Christian an Ambassador

Jesus Christ, your I want to read something else to you. A city full of churches, great preachers, literate men, grand music, choirs, and organs, these all fail but then. Good workers, eager earnest, who live an hour by hour, but where, O where, my brother, is God's almighty power? Refinement, education, they want the very best.

Their plans and schemes are perfect, they give themselves no rest. They get the best of talent, they try their uttermost, and what they need, my brother, is God the Holy Ghost. We may spend time and money and preach strong wisdom's law, but education only will keep the people poor.

God wants not worldly wisdom, he seeks no smile to win, but what is needed, brother, is that we deal with sin. It is the Holy Spirit that quickeneth the soul. God will not take man's worship, nor bow to man's control.

No human innovation, no skill or worldly art, can give a true repentance or break a sinner's heart. We may have human wisdom, grand singing, great success. There may be fine equipment, but these things do not bless.

God wants a pure, clean vessel, anointed lips and truth, a mantle with the Holy Spirit to speak his message true. Great God, revive us truly, and keep us every day, that men may all acknowledge we live just as we pray. The Lord's hand is not shortened, he still delights to bless.

We depart from evil, and all our sins confess. May the challenge of that poem reach your heart, but my heart this morning has become the all-important theme of Christian Aid and Ambassador. Now, 2 Corinthians, chapter 5, please.

I'd like us to read, if we may, from verse number 8. Verse number 8 of this wonderful letter. We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord, wherefore we labor, that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. There is a fivefold urge regarding the ambassador.

Now, I want a suggestion to you as I go down. Notice now, will you, verse number 10. An ambassador, remember, is a representative.

He's representing his king, government, and country in a foreign land. An ambassador is a diplomatic minister of highest order. Now, please get that into your heart, that we here this morning are diplomatic ministers of the highest order.

Think of the great dignity, the great honor raised upon us as Christians, realizing that we are ambassadors for Jesus Christ. Now, here's the first point I want to give you. A great responsibility.

An ambassador recognizes his great responsibility, all in view of verse number 10. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according that he hath done, whether they be good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the law, we persuade men.

But we are made manifest unto God, and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences. Notice now, for we command not ourselves to you, but give you occasion of glory in our behalf, that ye may have some thought to answer them, that glory and appearance are not in heart. For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God, or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.

Now, notice, dear children of God, first of all, the ambassador's great responsibility, then is the great motive, that Archimonde and his wonderful mission, we have just read them, from verse 11 down through verse number 13. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. Oh, that we might have that persuasive anointing of the Holy Spirit in all our ministry.

Now, here's the mighty love. His mighty love, in verse number 14. For the love of God constraineth us, because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead.

And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died, fallen, and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh. Yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.

Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. All things are passed away, without all things to become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation, the great responsibility, the great mortals, the mighty love.

And now here we have the deep gratitude. Know that it says, because his great love toward us, and because he gave himself for us, because he died and rose again, know that what it says, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation, to which that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, but committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us.

We pray you in Christ's name be you reconciled to God. I want you to think now of the high dignity resting upon the Christian ambassador. Know what it says, we are ambassadors, but know this now, not for any human government, we are ambassadors for Christ.

And know this, the wonderful, know this, though God did beseech you by us, we beseech you in Christ's name to be reconciled to God. Now notice the present opportunity, we beseech you now. At the present moment, the opportunity is now, and God has called us as Christians to become ambassadors of Jesus Christ.

Now notice the letter, for he has made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteous of God in him. We've been thinking just now of the great responsibility, the great motive, the mighty love, the deep gratitude, the high dignity, and then the present opportunity. But notice please in verse number one, the next chapter, our sufficiency.

We're not going forth in our own charges, not in our own strength, but we then are workers together with him, beseech you. Isn't that lovely? We workers together with him. He has not only sent us forth, he's coming with us all along the way.

I love that. Means so much to my heart. Now as an ambassador, remember you're a diplomatic minister of high order.

I want to get three points to hear before I give you an acrostic on the word ambassador. First of all, the mark of an ambassador. The mark of an ambassador.

Verse number 17. Read this wonderful word. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation.

All things are passed away, behold, all things will become new. Now the Christian ambassador must first of all be a citizen of heaven. If you're going forth as an ambassador, you must be a citizen of the country that you're representing.

A citizen of heaven. Thank God it says, remember in Philippians chapter three, verse number 10, for our citizenship is in heaven. That's verse 20 by the way.

Our citizenship is in heaven from whence also the look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. So we must be a citizen of heaven. Secondly, he must be above reproach.

He must be above reproach. Remember it says in Philippians chapter two, verse number 15, we are as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. And remember the land where you've been sent to as an ambassador.

They judge your country and your government and the royal family by you and by me. And this morning, beloved, we want to get something of the value and the importance and the terrific weight that is ours being an ambassador of Jesus Christ. At the congress in Freedom quite recently, there's a very telling story there of a young man from a foreign land, colored, young preacher, who took a brother from England and a brother from America and out of courtesy, and it was expected thing to do by the authorities in that country where the young man came from, he took his visitors to the chief to introduce them to the chief.

He turned away from the visitors, the chief did, and whispered in his own language to the Christian worker there, who do you say they are? They're missionaries. The chief got very upset, said, I don't want to meet them. He said, I've always looked upon the missionaries representing their own country and their own governments, and I've always had a great regard for them, held them in high esteem and deep appreciation, but he says, I've just visited both Britain and America.

I looked upon them as Christian countries because I saw the missionaries, but I've gone to Britain and to America and I've been startled. Instead of being Christian countries, they're non-Christian countries. Their ethics and their morals are so low, far below our own standards, and he says, send them back to evangelize their own countries.

In their starting statement, there the chief looked upon the missionaries and judged their countries by the missionaries, and when they came to the country, oh, how sad. Thank God today, there's no blemishing on the country that we are representing. There's no impurity, no lowering of standards in the heavenly land.

Thank God this morning we are representing a wonderful country. We're representing a wonderful Lord, the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings. What a high honor, what a privilege it is, our dear children of God.

I trust you're alive for the privileged people we really are. I trust you as an individual recognize the great honor that is yours just to be here in this poor land. Remember this is not our home.

I've been trying to find the hymn this morning. I am a stranger here within a foreign land. My home is far away beyond on our golden strand.

I am here as an ambassador for Jesus Christ. It's not in our hymn book, not in this particular hymn book, but isn't it a lovely hymn? Recognize this morning, I am a stranger here within a foreign land. My home is far away upon a golden strand.

For here we are this morning as representatives. We are as ambassadors and as teaching men and women in the name of Christ to be reconciled to God. And brethren, we must be above reproach.

This is very important. Our ethics, our morals, our physical standards, they must be above reproach. Men and women, my friends, are looking at you and are looking at me and are judging our Lord by you and by me.

The man as strict as I say, yes, he's not reading his Bible, but he's reading you and he's reading me. Only if there's true representation of our beloved Lord Jesus, may there be something of the fragrance and the purity and the blessedness of the country that we are representing while down here. What an honor is ours.

Now remember, we can do this in our own strength. Thank God we have here in verse 1 of chapter 6, our sufficiency is of God because we are co-workers together with Him. And go to the Father, shall we, in this meditation.

He must be selfless. He must be selfless. Now that's an important thing.

Look at verse 15 of the chapter. And that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died, fallen, and rose again. And ambassador, my friend, his time and his life, they are not his own.

They are not his own. And remember, we are not our own. We, dear my friend, have been bought with a price, the precious blood of the Lord Jesus.

As we come to the acrostic regarding the ambassador as one who has been bonded. He has been bonded, and has been purchased by the blood of Christ. But notice now these words, selfless.

Henceforth shall not live unto himself. And as ambassador of Jesus Christ, we should blaze our lives out in the interest of our absent, but soon coming, adorable Lord Jesus. Remember it says in John chapter 12.

Those intellectual people, of those the Greeks, they came and said to Philip, Sirs, we will see Jesus. And they went and told the Lord Jesus. Remember his answer? He said to come, if we fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone.

But if it die, the same bringeth forth much fruit. Legends do tell, it fits right in here. I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.

And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Did you get the answer in John 12? A call of wheat must fall into the ground and die. If it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

It does not die, it remains alone. An ambassador must be selfless. Beloved, if our adorable Lord Jesus is going to be made vital and manifest in our lives, we too must recognize our union with Christ in death and on resurrection.

Nostration. Did the call of wheat fall into the ground and die that by the Lord? I am not much of a gardener. I like gardening after it's all done.

The flowers are appearing, and the fruits are coming, the vegetables are growing. I like gardening then. I remember living down near Birmingham, England.

We planted some potatoes. You can't do much harm in planting potatoes. I got the potatoes into the ground.

By the time I came to gather those potatoes, and I got the garden pot straight into the ground, and lifted it up, what did I find? Six little things like marbles. You call them alleys here, don't you? Six little things like marbles. The old potato was still there, firm, strong as ever.

Not being done, it would go to the next room. A little more effort, up they come. Whoa, there they are.

Thirteen lovely, majestic potatoes. Majestic's the name of the potato, by the way. There they were.

Thirteen lovely potatoes. But you know something? I looked in vain for any trace of the old potato. Get that? I looked in vain for any trace of the old potato.

What is the Bible saying? If it dies, much fruit. If it remains alone, still there, no fruit. What's the lesson? Brethren, if Christ is going to be seen in your life and my life, we must rise our union with him in death.

And we must die. If we're going to be fruitful and bring forth fruit larger than choice to God's praise and God's glory in abundance, we must recognize our union with him. I sometimes say when preaching conferences for workers, missionaries, using this illustration, the first one, remember, the old potato was still there.

But there were six things like marbles. Now the flesh can produce profession. They'll never go on.

They'll never develop. They'll never mature. And they'll cause many a heartache.

But the old potato, having died, fruit out of the way, no trace of it, bringing forth that which is larger than choice, praying the Spirit of God will produce results that's going to have eternal value, have the mark of that which is spiritual, and they shall be reproducing Christians. Now isn't this what we're after during these days? As ambassadors for Jesus Christ, we have to seek men to reconcile to God in the name of our adorable Lord Jesus. And if we want to see men, women, and young people born in the Spirit of God, we must recognize the value an ambassador must be selfless.

He's no life of his own. He's no time of his own. My friend is under control.

He's under authority. Isn't that wonderful? To me, it's very precious. Good or fallen, shall we? Next point here regarding the mark of an ambassador.

He must be in constant touch with the throne. He must be in constant touch with the throne. In connection with your government here, he must be in constant touch with the White House.

You see? There must be that personal contact and constant intimacy flowing and going back and forth of information. So must we. We must be in constant touch with the throne.

A little boy went home from the Sunday school recently. Father said, Did you get something new today? He said, Yes, we got a new chorus. Well, what was it? God is still on the phone.

Isn't that lovely? God is still on the phone. He meant the chorus is God is still on the throne and he will remember his own. Isn't that lovely? That little boy got it.

God is still on the phone. And isn't that true? He's still on the phone. Must keep in contact with him day by day.

Then the last point we must hurry on to. This is my throne. He must be steadfast and loyal.

He must be steadfast and loyal. The verse I want to give you regarding being in contact with the throne is Philippians 4, verse number 6. Philippians 4, 6. May I suggest this to you? If you're ever in a fix, think of Philippians 4 and 6. Did you get that? Being careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication and thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

There you've got that wonderful outline. Verse number 7. The peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds. The word keep means to garrison, like a garrisoned soldier guarding a citadel against any intrusion or any intruder.

So friend, the peace of God rules in your heart. But seek to guard it against any intruder, such as fear, or worry, anxiety, or turmoil. We might know the inner rest, the inner tranquility.

Be careful for nothing. Now this one here regarding steadfast and loyal. Now this is very important.

We as God's beloved people must be steadfast. Not bedfast, but steadfast. Not unmovable, but immovable, yet always abounding in the work of the Lord.

I hurry on. He's a man of diplomacy, a man of great diplomacy. They last in this connection.

He must know the language of the people among whom he serves. He must know the language of the people. These seven marks of an ambassador are vital.

May I check them off again with you? First of all, he is a citizen of heaven. He's above reproach. He is selfless.

He's in constant touch with the throne. He's steadfast and loyal. He's a man of diplomacy.

He must be a good diplomat. I find that in preaching the word and serving the law, we must be good diplomats. Very diplomatic in many ways.

I find it really pays. But here it says, he must know the language of the people among whom he serves. There's only one language that people understand.

We as Christian ambassadors can get across to them. That language is love. The language is love.

Remember the man on the theoretical road? Good Samaritan, my friend, came right to where that man was lying. He cleansed his wound, poured his oil and wine, bound it up, put him in his own beat, provided for him. There's the language of love.

And praying what human eloquence and one who prays theology and platitudes will never do. The practical outworking of love will always ring harsh. And I say the other night, and I repeat right now, it is not eloquence of lit we need today, it's eloquence of love.

And this is the language of the ambassador. No, I don't mean sloppy sentimentality. I don't mean this mush-gush-dart-rush kind of stuff.

Oh, no. I mean that which is down-to-earth practical. And you'll find men and women and boys and girls will respond to this love.

Love often has to be firm, loyal, and true. Love doesn't always give us what we want. You have a child.

That child wants something that's going to be detrimental to them. You won't give the child that if you really love the child. Why? Because you love the child you won't have something that's always going to be detrimental or a hindrance to them or cause injury.

There's a manifestation of love. A child may think you don't love him. But you're no different to that, don't you? God often out of love.

He sees we want this and we want the next thing but he withholds it because he knows it's not going to be for our good. He says you supply all our needs. Not our wants.

Isn't that true? Not our wants. He'll meet all our needs. Whatever that need may be we can depend upon him to meet that need.

But here's a need crying all around us. All around us. You don't just take a North American cop as a whole.

He's on the knees right through the whole wide world. The great language of love is so necessary and so much required today. It's required right here, my friend, on the colony, on the campus, wherever we may go there's mighty elephants of love.

May God give us grace to know the baptism in the lungs of Calvary. The love of God should have gone to heart by the Holy Spirit. Here is the language of an ambassador.

A language all people know. A language of love. May we indeed know in ever deepening measure.

Now think again now of the motive or the message the ambassador's got to proclaim. First of all the seven marks of an ambassador and now his message. Jesus says, please, will you, in verse number 18, all things that have gone are reconciled unto himself by Jesus Christ and given to us the ministry of reconciliation in the way that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself.

Now notice what it says. Verse 20, as though God did deceit you by us we pray you in Christ's name be reconciled to God. Now that is our message.

We go forward by remembering verse 20 in, he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made become the righteousness of God in him. The wonder of it all. What a wonderful message we've got to proclaim to the world.

Then the motive. The motive is threefold. First of all the love of Christ constraining us in verse 14.

The love of Christ constraining. This is a pure motive. It's a wholesome motive.

It's a selfless motive. The love of Christ constraining. Then secondly along the same line, in view of the judgment seat of Christ.

Now be loving, this is important. All our servants as ambassadors of Jesus Christ must be in view of that judgment when we must give an account. When we each one must stand for his or herself before the judgment seat of Christ.

Not so much to deal with our sins. They've been dealt with at the cross at Golgotha. But be loving all our work.

All our service. From the moment we're born again it's going to be on review. It's going to be tried and tested in that coming day.

I so pray here now as ambassadors we must live with eternity's values in view. We must live with the judgment seat of Christ ever before us. Remember what Paul says in chapter, it's in chapter and verse number nine.

Wherefore we labor that whether present or absent we might be accepted of him. This man says he was ambitious. He was ambitious to be accepted of God.

Romans 1 15 He's ambitious to preach. Ambitious to preach. Romans chapter 8 chapter 12 verse 1 He was ambitious regarding sacrifice and consecration.

This is amazing my friends. But now the last point because I must hurry. The third motive is this.

The dire need of the lost. Verse number 11 Knowing therefore the terror of men, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. Now isn't this amazing? Let something of the reality, the passion of this come over our spirit lives this morning.

Have you ever taken time to think what it's going to mean for a soul to be lost? Have you ever my friends taken time to gaze upon God the Father thereby praying to the Lord Jesus and all his agony and anguish upon that Roman gibbet. See that his whole body veiled in blood. Now know this.

He did not save us by interceding for us and praying for us in heaven. Oh no. He recognized that only one way whereby we might be saved reconciled to God and he had to leave the realms of yonder glory.

Leave all the splendor my friend, let glory and bear his glory come in the human flesh and go over the Calvary's cross and through his death we are reconciled to God. How greatly Jesus must have loved me. How greatly Jesus must have loved me to bear my sin to bear my sin and his body on the tree.

And beloved when we sing of the passion and the love and the sacrifice and the selflessness for adorable Lord Jesus for the salvation of your soul and mine he takes aside the veil gives a glimpse into hell. Can you just imagine what it's going to mean my friend for a soul to be eternally separated from God. Our funny minds can't grasp it.

Our minds simply can't comprehend what it's going to mean. And so the Lord and so the Apostle Paul with a real passion he says knowing the terror of the Lord we persuade men. Me and Michael's word composes again this morning Oh for a passionate passion for souls Oh for a heart yearned Oh for a love that loves unto death Oh for a love that burns.

And the first motive is the constraining love of Christ. The second living in view of the accounting day. And friend having a knowledge no matter how meager it may be of the terror of the Lord we are going to persuade men and women and boys and girls to be reconciled to God.

Now you don't need to be a great preacher don't need to be a wonderful orator don't need to be a great Bible student that tells men and women of the love of the Lord Jesus. The word we said go into all the world and preach say go into all the world and gossip. The word is gossip.

Go gossip to glad tidings. Tell the people about the Lord Jesus. Tell them of the lost condition and tell them how he loves them he came to save them and to bring them back to God.

Oh may some of this come over us through our lives this morning. Why I feel so burned about it I simply don't know. But know my friend it's just so easy for us to come to a conference like this and enjoy so much the pleasures and the pleasant congenial atmosphere and the sweetness of one another's fellowship.

I know how much I appreciate this with you. Oh that God may give us a vision of men and women around us without Christ without God and without hope in the world. That we may recognize our high calling and the great dignity as ambassadors of Jesus Christ.

We may go out and persuade men and women to be reconciled to God. Now isn't that just precious? You've got the sinful mark. You've got the message we've got to proclaim and the peaceful motive of this particular ambassador.

Now maybe you've got written down in your paper have you? We have crossed it on ambassador. I'll touch it then close. And we'll continue from here tonight.

Go down the capital A-M-B-A-S-S-A-D-O-R AMBASSADOR Oh the joy. Oh the awe. Are you glad you're an ambassador? First of all then the authority.

An ambassador has the authority. What is his authority? We'll deal with that tonight. Next letter is A-M and the word is his message.

His message. Then he is born. Then he's above reproach.

He's selfless. He's steadfast. He's attentive.

He's diligent. He's on his majesty's service. He may be recalled or rewarded.

Recalled or rewarded. May God have his blessing. To meditate upon his word this morning touching the ambassador.

Convention night. Let us all be ambassadors during the course of the day. Contact one another.

Get to come along tonight. I'm sure we'll have a time of real definite blessing and spiritual uplifting. Hymn number 485.

4-8-5 All together. All together. Our father in the quiet heart of this morning hour in the closing moment of this gathering we ask thy blessing upon us each one here and those who have already go.

We ask thy blessing upon all who this morning render unto the sound of thy word. Oh God bless thy word. May it become effectual and effective and working in all of our hearts that Jesus Christ may reign Lord Supreme that he may indeed be the very life of our lives may we indeed acknowledge him as Lord over all blessed forever.

We thank you God for this morning's class. We thank you.